Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD has unveiled a groundbreaking new battery technology, the Super E-Platform, promising charging speeds comparable to refueling a gasoline car. This advancement could significantly ease concerns about the time it takes to charge an electric vehicle for potential customers.
BYD’s new Super E-Platform boasts an impressive 1,000kW charging rate, four times faster than Tesla’s 250kW Superchargers. These speeds translate to a range increase of up to 400 kilometers (249 miles) with just a five-minute charge. During a live-streamed event from the company’s headquarters in Shenzhen, China, BYD stated that its mass production of this technology would “completely solve users’ range anxiety when travelling.”
The first models to feature this ultra-fast charging system will be BYD’s latest Han L and Tang L models, initially available only in China. However, BYD is currently only prioritizing sales, with the vehicles only being available in China to begin with. The demand for electric vehicles in China has seen a massive surge in recent years, with the number of battery-powered vehicles on the road now exceeding 20 million. BYD is the best-selling brand in China, accounting for approximately one-third of all EV sales in the country.
Despite a relatively smaller market share in Europe and no presence in the US, the company surpassed Tesla last year to become the world’s largest EV manufacturer. The International Energy Agency (IEA) reveals that the global surge in electric vehicle sales has resulted in a decline in demand for combustion engine cars. In 2023, electric cars represented 18% of all new cars sold globally, up from 14% the prior year. Furthermore, sales of combustion engine cars decreased by a quarter from 83.7 million to 62.8 million between 2018 and 2023, according to the figures, indicating the global sales of polluting vehicles have already peaked. BYD’s breakthrough is expected to further sustain demand, though a specialist charging port will likely be needed to reach the most efficient charging times. During the livestream, BYD founder Wang Chuanfu mentioned that the Han L and Tang L models would likely start at around $40,000.
