China's leading electric vehicle and battery maker BYD unveiled a next-generation EV battery that can fully charge in 9 minutes.
According to BYD on the 6th, BYD Chair Wang Chuanfu unveiled the latest charging system, the "Blade Battery 2.0," at a presentation held the day before. It can charge the battery from 10% to 70% in 5 minutes, and to 97% in 9 minutes. Even in extreme cold of minus 30 degrees, it takes only 12 minutes to charge from 20% to 97%. A single full charge delivers a driving range of 777 km.
The company also said the charging system scored above China's national standards in safety tests such as external impact and thermal propagation. The new battery withstood conditions at 10 times the national standard impact force, and even when a nail was driven through a cell during charging to force a short circuit, there was no thermal runaway, smoke, fire, or explosion.
BYD described it as "the world's most advanced power battery technology," saying it "solves the fundamental problems of slow charging and difficulty charging in low temperatures for electric vehicles." While the EV industry is choosing to increase battery size and expand charging stations to extend range, the fundamental solution is to make charging as fast and convenient as refueling internal combustion vehicles, Wang said.
BYD plans to build 20,000 "flash charging stations" across China by the end of this year, each with a maximum output of 1,500 kW. That is three times the output of the 500 kW V4 Supercharger Tesla began installing in China last year.