BYD develops megawatt charging system for new cars

BYD has developed a new ultra-fast charging system for its electric cars that can add 250 miles of range in five minutes.

The one megawatt (1mW) charging speed is around three times as fast as the current fastest charging system in passenger cars.

It's part of BYD's Super-e platform, which will feature on the upcoming Han and Tang. Neither model is currently sold in the UK but BYD says the tech will be brought to British roads once suitable charging infrastructure exists. 

To demonstrate the enhanced charging capability, BYD has developed its own electric vehicle (EV) charger with a 1,360kW output.

At the launch event in Shenzhen, Wang Chuanfu, chairman and president of BYD Group, said the new technology would help to wipe out the biggest remaining ‘pain point’ for electric-vehicle users. He added: “To completely eliminate users’ charging anxiety, our goal is to make EV charging as fast as refuelling a gasoline car – achieving ‘oil-electric parity’ in charging speed.”

The Super-e platform combines a new Flash Charging Battery with new electric components that utilise a 1,000 volt architecture.