A MAJOR EV car brand has unveiled groundbreaking new technology that charges a car for 300 miles in just five minutes.
Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD has revealed the new charging system which could revolutionise the landscape.
BYD have unveiled groundbreaking new technology[/caption]
The new lighting fast chargers[/caption]
Using a new network of ultra-fast charging devices, BYD claim the tech is capable of adding up to 470 kilometres (292 miles) of range from a charging session lasting just five minutes.
This means it is almost equivalent to the time it takes to fill up a petrol of diesel car at the pumps.
Charging speeds of 1,000 kW – or 1 megawatt (MW) – would be twice as fast as Tesla’s superchargers, which offer up to 500 kW.
In tests, the new battery maintained high levels of charging power throughout the charging process, achieving up to 600kW even at a 90 per cent state of charge.
Shares in the Chinese EV giant have since surged to a record high on the back of the announcement of its “flash charging” tech.
Although BYD has yet to reveal its capacity and weight, the company claims it has achieved a 10C charging multiplier.
BYD founder Wang Chuanfu said it has the potential to “fundamentally solve users’ charging anxiety.”
He added: “Our pursuit is to make the charging time of electric vehicles as short as the refuelling time of fuel vehicles.”
BYD was the world’s second-largest producer of battery electric vehicles in 2024, marginally behind Tesla.
However, the Chinese company also sells hundreds of thousands of plug-in hybrids that combine a battery with a petrol engine.
Wang, who is often described as China’s answer to the Tesla boss, Elon Musk, started the business as a battery maker in 1995, before starting car manufacturing in 2003.
To facilitate the introduction of its new battery technology, BYD plans to construct more than 4000 supercharging stations across China.
It comes after two carmakers have unveiled 11 fresh motors which will be released in 2026.
Volkswagen and Jetta will design the vehicles exclusively for the Chinese market.
Six of those cars will be EVs while two will be plug-in hybrids.
The remainder will comprise two extended-rangers and one gasoline motor.
A Jetta-branded EV model will be the first to hit the market in 2026 as it aims to address its declining market share in the east Asian country.
Volkswagen suffered a 9.5% sales slump in China where competition has intensified and economic headwinds are weighing on consumer spending.
CHINA COMPETITION
China has long been leader in the EV market, which some experts suggest is down to car manufacturers working faster to produce affordable cars.
Manufacturer BYD even beat Tesla in UK sales last month.
“Chinese brands are super competitive. For example, you can already pick up a new MG5 today for under £20,000 by shopping around.
“Where will they be in three years’ time? VW really has its work cut out,” a car expert told The Telegraph.
The MoD has leased hundreds of Chinese electric vehicles to try to meet Net Zero targets.
And they have ordered thousands more under plans to clean up its fleet of 12,000 civilian vehicles within two years.
