Assuming the claims actually hold up in the real world and it doesn't impact longevity too much this is pretty exciting tech. Fast charging isn't useful unless you're doing a road trip or can't...
Assuming the claims actually hold up in the real world and it doesn't impact longevity too much this is pretty exciting tech. Fast charging isn't useful unless you're doing a road trip or can't charge overnight but it's a big hangup for people who haven't looked into EVs that much.
Yeah, 5 minute charging is in the same sort of convenience category as refuelling a car with a combustion engine. It may be slightly longer, but it's not a half hour charge where you've got to...
Yeah, 5 minute charging is in the same sort of convenience category as refuelling a car with a combustion engine. It may be slightly longer, but it's not a half hour charge where you've got to plan charging around meal breaks on a roadtrip.
The company unveiled its second-generation Blade Battery alongside a 1,500-kW charging system called FLASH Charging. Put together and in optimal conditions, BYD says the technologies allow compatible vehicles to recharge from 10% to 70% in about five minutes and from 10% to 97% in roughly nine. Even in subzero temperatures the system can charge a battery from 20% to 97% in about 12 minutes.
[...]
BYD says the Blade Battery 2.0 improves both charging speed and energy density, and increases energy density by about five percent compared with the original version, enabling driving ranges of more than 621 miles (1,000 kilometers) under China’s CLTC test cycle, which could translate to well north of 400 miles EPA.
The mechanism behind such an improvement is what BYD is calling a “FlashPass” ion transport system, which uses specially designed cathode, electrolyte, and anode that reduce internal resistance and heat buildup and allow for faster lithium-ion movement within the battery.
[...]
The charging hardware itself is designed to be easier to use than conventional stations. BYD’s FLASH Charger features a T-shaped overhead cable system that keeps connectors off the ground and allows drivers to plug in more easily.
BYD has already installed more than 4,200 of the new charging stations in China and plans to deploy about 20,000 by the end of the year. The stations include energy-storage systems that help deliver ultra-high charging power even where local electrical grids may have limitations.
The first vehicle expected to use the new technology in Europe will be the Denza Z9GT, a premium electric wagon from BYD’s luxury sub-brand Denza. Additional details about international rollout plans for the charging network are expected later.
The timing of this announcement (the article) is quite interesting actually. A Finnish brand, Donut Labs, announced their solid-state battery at CES at the beginning of the year. Most battery...
The timing of this announcement (the article) is quite interesting actually.
A Finnish brand, Donut Labs, announced their solid-state battery at CES at the beginning of the year. Most battery manufacturers told people "this isnt possible", so they've been drip feeding information about the tech weekly since the beginning of this month. This week they shared a video showing their SSB tech on a premium sports bike brand (Verge) thats meant to ship at the beginning of Q1 2026. It did what BYD is claiming in the article with no active cooling, which is supposedly very difficult to do with current tech.
They've had a lot of flack for promoting "impossible" tech but so far they've provided interesting evidence they've got what the claim. They haven't done the obvious yet, like confirming the weight of the battery so people can work out the density (probably for obvious reasons - that might be the last thing they release honestly) but if anything, this weeks demo has quieted a lot of sceptics.
Anyway, I'm grateful there appears to be some genuine competition in the field after we were collectively lied to about the capability of it for so long by legacy manufacturers.
Assuming the claims actually hold up in the real world and it doesn't impact longevity too much this is pretty exciting tech. Fast charging isn't useful unless you're doing a road trip or can't charge overnight but it's a big hangup for people who haven't looked into EVs that much.
Yeah, 5 minute charging is in the same sort of convenience category as refuelling a car with a combustion engine. It may be slightly longer, but it's not a half hour charge where you've got to plan charging around meal breaks on a roadtrip.
I disagree. While a relevant point I see fast charging in this sense a game changer everywhere.
From the article:
[...]
[...]
The timing of this announcement (the article) is quite interesting actually.
A Finnish brand, Donut Labs, announced their solid-state battery at CES at the beginning of the year. Most battery manufacturers told people "this isnt possible", so they've been drip feeding information about the tech weekly since the beginning of this month. This week they shared a video showing their SSB tech on a premium sports bike brand (Verge) thats meant to ship at the beginning of Q1 2026. It did what BYD is claiming in the article with no active cooling, which is supposedly very difficult to do with current tech.
They've had a lot of flack for promoting "impossible" tech but so far they've provided interesting evidence they've got what the claim. They haven't done the obvious yet, like confirming the weight of the battery so people can work out the density (probably for obvious reasons - that might be the last thing they release honestly) but if anything, this weeks demo has quieted a lot of sceptics.
Anyway, I'm grateful there appears to be some genuine competition in the field after we were collectively lied to about the capability of it for so long by legacy manufacturers.