BYD Flash Charging — This Changes Everything! – CleanTechnica

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Let’s get one thing out of the way right up front. I own shares in BYD. Why? Because unlike Tesla, BYD has an actual business plan that involves manufacturing vehicles powered by electricity. Tesla seems content to keep flogging the same horse — the Model Y — forever.

The trajectory of BYD’s stock price has been up and down of late, largely due to political turmoil between the US and China. But in my estimation, it will be the largest automaker in the world by 2030. That being said, anyone who follows my advice is a certified fool, as my track record as an investor is dismal. Consider yourself warned!

BYD is in the news a lot lately, as it opens new markets and introduces new models on what seems like an hourly basis. Earlier this year, it unveiled its Super E-platform for electric cars. What’s so super about Super-E? For starters, it is based on 1,000-volt architecture. The first production models based on the new platform are the Han L EV and Tang L EV.

At the heart of the new platform are new and improved Blade batteries that support ultra-fast charging, high-performance electric motors, and a new generation of silicon carbide power chips. BYD calls them “flash charge” batteries because they have a 10C charging rate, the highest of any mass produced traction battery in the world.

The “Super E-platform” is capable of 1000 kW of peak charging power, making the cars that use it able to add 400 km (249 miles) of range in five minutes, according to BYD founder, Chairman, and CEO Wang Chuanfu. Bear in mind that all range information from Chinese companies is based on the highly optimistic CLTC testing standard. In general, EPA range estimates are about one third less, as the Chinese standard prioritizes lower average speeds than the US model.

BYD & Fast Charging

Fast charging technology is the key to increasing EV adoption, as it is seen to help assure EV drivers’ concerns over being able to charge their cars quickly. “In order to completely solve our user’s charging anxiety, we have been pursuing a goal to make the charging time of electric vehicles as short as the refueling time of petrol vehicles,” Wang said.

Megawatt charging is talked about a lot for heavy-duty electric trucks that need to replenish their large batteries during the mandatory break times for drivers, which in Europe is a minimum of 45 minutes. But it is seldom mentioned when the conversation is about passenger vehicles. Mercedes has its ELF experimental electric van that is able to be charged either by a CCS or a MCS (megawatt) charger, but that vehicle is only gathering data that will be incorporated in future vehicles. The BYD megawatt-capable vehicles are here today.

The company this month announced plans to install its so-called “flash chargers” in Europe and South Africa. In China, those flash chargers use two charging cables, but BYD flash chargers will use a single cable, Electrive says. It cites a report in Spanish by TestCoches, which claims, “At IAA Mobility 2025, a company representative confirmed that in Europe only one cable is required to reach the 1,000 kW maximum DC charging power. And of course, the European standard connector, the CCS plug, remains in use.”

In her official speech at the IAA Mobility show, BYD Europe CEO Stella Li confirmed only that BYD’s “flash charging” will arrive in Europe and that 200 to 300 stations are planned by the end of the second quarter of 2026. The fast charging technology will be primarily used by BYD’s premium Denza brand, she suggested.

Electrive says, “More and more manufacturers are presenting CCS charging capacities that go beyond the standard 400 kW fast chargers currently in use. To meet the increasing demands of vehicles, charging station manufacturers and their suppliers are stepping up.

“Alpitronic, for example, enables up to 600 kW per CCS connector from Phoenix Contact with its HYC1000 system. Phoenix Contact has already introduced an upgraded connector capable of delivering charging capacities of up to 1,000 kW. These high values rely on new cooling concepts. It remains unclear whether BYD has developed the CCS connector used in its system in-house or relies on a supplier.”

Cooling is an important aspect of high-power charging. Moving that many electrons in a short period of time creates quite a bit of heat. Siemens this month introduced its SiCharge Flex charging system that can deliver an astonishing 1.68 MW of power, but its charging points are configured to permit cooling system connections even if they are wall mounted.

BYD & South Africa

Electrive is also reporting that BYD intends to introduce is flash chargers to South Africa in 2026. The first flash charging stations will be installed at its rapidly growing dealer network across the country. The company expects to triple its dealer network by the end of next year by expansing beyond major cities to smaller towns and communities.

More chargers will be installed along the country’s major highways. “We want to cover 100% of the country,” Li said in an interview with TechCentral. “By the end of next year, we will have 200 or 300 flash charging stations in South Africa.”

The flash chargers, which have high power demands, will be powered by a combination of electricity from the grid and solar energy, according to the report. Where sufficient grid capacity is available, the chargers will be connected directly. However, the solar option will enable BYD to build infrastructure outside major urban centers, Li explained. BYD signed an agreement with South African electricity supplier Eskom last month.

Several hundred flash chargers have already been deployed in China this year, and BYD has entered into several partnerships for further expansion, involving more than 15,000 megawatt charging stations in China alone. In Europe, an initial network of several hundred charging stations is to be established in the course of 2026, with 200 to 300 stations planned by the end of the second quarter.

Although BYD is investing in South Africa, the company has no current plans to build its own vehicle or battery factory. “Not at this point; we are too new to the market,” Li said in the interview. “We only invest [in manufacturing plants] where we have a big market. We are new here; we still need to understand [the market more fully].”

The assault on electric vehicles being carried out by the failed US administration is not having much effect on the rest of the world, as new technologies continue to move the EV revolution forward. By the time America stops looking in the rear view mirror, it may be too far behind to ever catch up.