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The BYD Ultra-Fast Charger Promises Approximately 401 Km of Range in Just 5 Minutes of Charging, Equaling the Gasoline Refueling Time and Marking an Advance in Electric Vehicles
A new technology of ultra-fast chargers from BYD promises to change the landscape of electric vehicles. The Chinese manufacturer unveiled this week a charger that provides 249 miles (approx. 401 km) of range in just five minutes. This is equivalent to the average time spent refueling a gasoline vehicle at a station.
Obstacles Still Present
The time required to recharge an electric vehicle has been one of the main obstacles to the large-scale adoption of the technology. Despite advances in range per charge, electric vehicles still travel, on average, only half of what combustion cars can achieve with a full tank.
Additionally, there are fewer public chargers at gas stations. Even the fastest chargers available today take around 15 minutes to provide 200 miles (approx. 322 km) of charge. This feeds what many call “range anxiety” among consumers.
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An Important Step by BYD
The Chinese automaker seems to have taken an important step to address this issue. The new ultra-fast chargers from BYD promise to provide 249 miles (approx. 401 km) of autonomy in just 5 minutes of charging. The company also announced the installation of over 4,000 charging points throughout China.
During the launch of the innovation in Shenzhen, the company’s founder, Wang Chuanfu, stated: “To completely resolve our users’ charging anxiety, we have aimed to make the charging time of electric vehicles as short as the refueling time of gasoline vehicles.”
BYD’s innovation isn’t just limited to the charger. The company has developed a platform called “Super e-Platform,” which combines batteries capable of charging ten times their capacity per hour with high-voltage silicon carbide power chips. This technology allows the charger to reach up to 1,000 kilowatts of power.
According to Reuters, this combination is what enables the achievement of unprecedented charging speeds. While other Chinese manufacturers already offer similar range charging in 10 minutes, BYD is the first to reduce the time to the point of being equivalent to traditional refueling.
Tesla Falls Behind
The comparison with Tesla was significant. The current superchargers of the American company reach 250 kilowatts, and a new version, expected by the end of this year, is projected to reach a maximum of 500 kilowatts. The performance difference caught the sector’s attention.
Matt Teske, CEO of the charging startup Chargeway, commented to Axios: “Tesla has definitely shifted from being a leader to a laggard in battery and electric vehicle charging technology at this moment.”
BYD Ultra-Fast Chargers: Infrastructure Challenges
The capacity of BYD’s new ultra-fast charger is linked to the voltage it can handle. While Tesla’s superchargers operate at 400 volts, the Chinese charger handles up to 1,000 volts. However, this high voltage could impact electrical infrastructure if applied on a large scale, analysts warned to Reuters.
Another relevant point involves the method of measuring range. The estimate of 249 miles (approx. 401 km) is based on Chinese standards, which tend to be more generous than those used by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, as reported by Ars Technica.
The Innovation Will Not Reach the U.S.
Even with advancements, American drivers are not expected to have immediate access to the innovation. The new ultra-fast charger from BYD will only be available for two models of the brand: the Han L sedan and the Tang L SUV. Additionally, electric vehicles manufactured in China are, in practice, prohibited from entering the U.S. after recent rules from the Biden administration.
Thus, although range anxiety remains among buyers, the introduction of the new ultra-fast charger technology represents a milestone in the sector. BYD has challenged the competition and may have accelerated the next phase of the evolution of electric vehicles.
With information from Singularity Hub.
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