Chinese language automaker BYD unveiled a brand new battery pack Thursday that the corporate says is able to charging from 10% to 70% in 5 minutes. Taking it to virtually 100% takes about 4 minutes extra.
Recharge instances like these would nullify issues about electrical autos’ charging instances — one of many few locations the place inside combustion engines retain a bonus. Even in bitter chilly climate (–4°F or –20°C), the pack can cost from 20% to 97% in underneath 12 minutes, in keeping with BYD. The battery pack, often known as the Blade Battery 2.0 system, is slated to debut within the Yangwang U7, a full-size luxurious sedan.
There’s a important caveat to this eye-popping determine. The Yangwang U7 sedan, or every other future BYD automobile geared up with this next-generation battery pack, can solely attain this ultra-fast charging time when paired with one of many firm’s new Flash Charging EV chargers, which is able to delivering 1.5 megawatts of electrical energy.
Nonetheless, BYD is probably going relying on this flashy charging tech to spice up gross sales and provides it an edge in a value battle with different Chinese language automakers which can be rolling out new and improved EVs at a speedy clip.
The Shenzhen-based firm was a darling of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway holdings for years. The investor purchased a ten% stake within the automaker in 2008 for $230 million — lengthy earlier than it turned a Tesla rival and family title. Berkshire offered its final shares in 2025, returning more than 20x the unique funding.
At the moment, BYD is the world’s largest producer of EVs — a standing that different Chinese language automakers and Tesla are eager to vary. Whereas BYD nonetheless outpaces opponents like Li Auto, Xpeng, Xiaomi, and Zeekr, there was a latest dip in gross sales. The corporate reported that its mixed January and February gross sales quantity in 2026 dipped by roughly 36% in comparison with the 12 months earlier than.
Its next-generation battery system may assist it appeal to new clients and retain present ones.
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The brand new Blade Battery 2.0 accomplishes the ultra-fast charging feat through the use of lithium iron phosphate (LFP), a chemistry that automakers are betting will assist decrease the price of EVs as a result of it avoids the usage of pricy metals like cobalt or nickel. Presently, LFP packs price $81 per kilowatt-hour in contrast with $128 per kilowatt-hour for nickel manganese cobalt (NMC), according to BloombergNEF.
As a result of LFP isn’t as vitality dense as different chemistries like NMC, it may well’t carry as a lot vitality, which limits vary. In consequence, Western automakers virtually completely use LFP cells of their cheaper fashions. However BYD is betting that by rushing up the charging course of, LFP can turn out to be acceptable in additional than simply low-end EVs.
Earlier than releasing Flash Charging, BYD had rolled out a 1 megawatt charging system for a earlier sedan, the Han L, that used two 500 kW charging cables that wanted to each be plugged in. Within the U.S. and Europe, the quickest chargers are inclined to prime out at 350 kW, although there are an growing variety of 500 kW chargers which can be being rolled out.
BYD’s Flash Charging stalls have cables draping from overhead towers, which permit the cables to serve both aspect of the automobile. It must also make plugging in simpler because the cables and charging plug are most likely fairly heavy to deal with the quantity of energy they’re rated to deal with. BYD mentioned it has 4,200 Flash Charging stations accomplished all through China with a purpose of including about 16,000 extra by the top of the 12 months, although we should always be aware that the automaker makes use of the “Flash” title to explain its 1-megawatt chargers, too. It additionally mentioned it is going to add grid-scale batteries to the installations to alleviate stress on the grid.
Within the U7 full-size sedan, the battery can energy the automotive for simply over 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) on the China Gentle-Responsibility Car Take a look at Cycle (CLTC), which tends to be optimistic. CLTC overstates range by about 35% in contrast with the extra practical EPA take a look at cycle. In real-world driving, the automotive would seemingly be capable to cowl simply over 400 miles on a single cost.
That’s much less vary than a Lucid Air Grand Touring, which may journey for 512 miles on a full 117 kWh pack, in keeping with the EPA take a look at cycle. However having the ability to add 240 miles in 5 minutes may make such comparisons moot.
