EV global leader BYD is investing nearly €2 billion (£1.7bn) to build “flash-charging” stations in Europe, including a planned 600 in the UK, as it seeks to reduce charging times and eliminate a key barrier to competing with petrol-powered vehicles.
The stations can be used by any EV with a standard CCS charging port, but only cars with BYD’s recently introduced Blade Batteries take full advantage of charging times that reach a 70 percent charge in 5 minutes.
Batteries can reach nearly a full charge in 12 minutes, even in subzero temperatures, BYD says.
Flash charging
Currently the only BYD model in Europe with flash-charging capabilities is the premium Denza Z9 GT model, priced starting at €115,000, but BYD plans to roll the technology out across its lower-range models across Europe in the coming years.
A network of flash-charging stations will be critical to enabling drivers to take advantage of the feature, BYD said.
It has installed the first of the chargers in Germany and recently launched the first flash charger in the UK.
It said it is planning 3,000 of the chargers across Europe, including 600 in the UK, by 2027.
Infrastructure
That compares to about 20,000 Tesla Superchargers across Europe currently. Tesla’s chargers can deliver up to 200 miles of range in 15 minutes.
BYD said its chargers won’t add a burden to power grids, as they rely on on-site batteries that can be replenished overnight at lower rates.
The company’s market share in Europe has increased rapidly in recent months, in spite of EU tariffs, with a 1.9 perecnt share in the EU and a 3.4 percent share in the UK in the first four months of the year, according to Acea.
