After this launch event, no one will joke about BYD’s charging speed anymore.
On March 17, 36Kr witnessed a Han L charging demonstration at a BYD event, where the battery level jumped from 7% to 62% in just five minutes—faster than charging a smartphone.
The event’s highlight was BYD’s “super e-platform.” Wang Chuanfu, president and chairman of BYD, announced that vehicles equipped with this platform will support a 1,000-volt voltage, 1,000-ampere current, and a one-megawatt charging capacity, achieving a 10C charging rate.
With this, BYD has eliminated its previous shortcoming in ultrafast charging, elevating electric vehicle charging speeds to an entirely new level. At peak efficiency, its vehicles can gain two kilometers of range per second.
Within the industry, a five-minute charge adding 200 kilometers of range is considered exceptional. BYD claims to have doubled that, reaching 400 kilometers in five minutes. For comparison, the luxury sedan Maextro S800 maxes out at a 6C charging rate, significantly lower than BYD’s 10C claim.
But BYD isn’t just making promises. Wang said that the super e-platform is ready for mass production and will debut in the Han L and Tang L, both now open for preorders. The Han L is priced between RMB 270,000–350,000 (USD 37,800–49,000), while the Tang L falls between RMB 280,000–360,000 (USD 39,200–50,400).
Ultrafast charging has become a significant aspect for EV manufacturers, serving as both a sales driver and a solution to range anxiety. From Xpeng G9’s introduction of the first 800V architecture to the Li Mega’s adoption of a 5C battery, automakers are pushing the limits of EV technology. Meanwhile, battery makers are introducing breakthroughs such as the Qilin and Shenxing batteries.
With its deep expertise in battery technology, BYD was never going to sit out this race. As the only company that is both an automaker and battery manufacturer, it is proving that it is far from stagnating.
At the core of BYD’s super e-platform is its high-voltage architecture and battery system. At this event, the long-rumored second-generation blade battery made its debut.
This new “flash charging” version has shrunk from the original 960-millimeter blade battery to approximately 450 mm. The redesign retains the structural strength of the blade battery while reducing internal resistance, making it better suited for ultrafast charging.
However, reaching flash charging speeds requires overcoming two critical challenges: heat generation and system cooling efficiency.
At the cell level, a battery’s charging speed depends on the quality of ion channels, electrolyte conductivity, and separator grade. BYD has pushed these components to the industry’s highest standards to achieve 10C charging.
According to the company, improvements in battery materials have cut internal resistance by 50%. Additionally, BYD’s new stacking process and stickout electrode design have reduced heat generation by another 50%.
Cooling remains a key challenge across the battery industry. CATL’s Qilin battery, for instance, relies on large-area cooling technology to achieve 4C to 5C charging rates.
Unlike most battery makers that use liquid cooling in battery packs, BYD has opted for direct-contact refrigerant cooling. While refrigerants do not provide heating, they offer significantly faster cooling. BYD’s flash charging battery features dual-sided refrigerant cooling, which increases the heat exchange area by 100% and improves cooling efficiency by 90%.
With lower internal resistance, less heat generation, and superior cooling, BYD has unlocked megawatt flash charging.
Even if vehicles support megawatt charging, realizing its potential requires a network of ultrafast charging stations—an area where BYD has historically been absent.
That is changing. Wang revealed plans to deploy over 4,000 megawatt-class flash charging stations across China. Additionally, BYD will open its technology to private investors, encouraging broader participation in expanding the charging network.
However, ultrafast charging stations must work in sync with the power grid. Local grid capacity determines the maximum charging power that can be delivered. Just as running multiple high-power appliances at home can trip a circuit breaker, ultrafast chargers can overload local grids and even disrupt residential electricity use.
The only way to prevent costly grid upgrades is by integrating energy storage systems into charging stations—an area where BYD has an advantage.
As the world’s second largest EV battery producer and second largest energy storage battery manufacturer, BYD can leverage its own energy storage technology to minimize costs.
At the event, the company showcased a charging hub integrated with an energy storage unit. This setup allows BYD to deploy charging stations almost anywhere without relying on major grid upgrades.
Even without a flash charging station, BYD claims its vehicles can still leverage existing fast chargers.
Wang introduced BYD’s dual-gun charging technology, which enables two 250 kW chargers to work in tandem, doubling the charging power to 500 kW. This means that even regular fast chargers can be upgraded to ultrafast chargers within BYD’s ecosystem.
Beyond battery technology, the super e-platform introduces advancements in power electronics and drivetrain components. These include a 1,500V automotive-grade silicon carbide (SiC) power chip and an electric motor capable of 30,511 rotations per minute.
As BYD’s next-generation pure electric platform, the super e-platform is not just about charging speed, representing a complete overhaul of EV architecture, with improvements in motors, batteries, and power control systems.
Vehicles built on this platform will support megawatt-class flash charging, 0–100 km/h acceleration in just over two seconds, and top speeds exceeding 300 km/h.
With the super e-platform, megawatt flash charging, and the Han L and Tang L now open for preorders, BYD is making a decisive move to reshape China’s EV market.
In 2024, BYD sold 4.27 million vehicles, but plug-in hybrids accounted for 2.49 million units—a 72.8% year-over-year increase—while its pure electric models reached only 1.77 million units, growing just 12.1%.
The company’s success has been driven by plug-in hybrids. In May 2024, it launched the fifth-generation DM hybrid system, achieving a fuel efficiency of 2.9 liters per 100 km in depleted mode. This gave BYD’s plug-in hybrids over three times the range of traditional gasoline cars, driving the company’s overall 41.3% sales growth.
But pure EVs remain the ultimate goal of electrification. That’s why BYD is doubling down on its super e-platform.
The Han L and Tang L will be the first to feature this platform. These flagship models, part of BYD’s Dynasty series, combine a new design language with the super e-platform, the DiPilot 300 smart driving system, and the DiSus-C chassis system.
The Han L targets competitors like Xiaomi’s SU7, while the Tang L positions itself against Li Auto’s L6 and future family-focused EVs like the i6.
BYD’s biggest challenge remains selling high-end EVs in a market where plug-in hybrids dominate.
At present, ultrafast charging seems to be the only way to make pure EVs more practical for everyday use.
But when will this technology reach BYD’s mass market models like the Qin and Song series? The company has not made an official statement, but engineers at the event told 36Kr that “it’s only a matter of time.”
BYD’s DiPilot 300 system took one and a half years to move from premium models to mainstream vehicles. But that was a software-driven upgrade. Megawatt charging is hardware-dependent, meaning adoption will likely take longer—perhaps two to three years.
Beyond battery upgrades, entire vehicle systems—from power control to drivetrain components—must be optimized for high-voltage operation, adding costs in the thousands of dollars per unit.
BYD’s edge lies in its vertical integration. With in-house kilovolt architecture and high-voltage component manufacturing, it can reduce costs more effectively than competitors.
Still, mass adoption will require a full model refresh and greater economies of scale. With the Han L, Tang L, and upcoming Song L and Qin L, BYD is gradually phasing out older models to accelerate this transition.
But without a robust charging network, even the fastest-charging EVs won’t reach their full potential, making the next two to three years critical.
By then, megawatt charging could be mainstream, while solid-state batteries may still be years from commercialization.
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This article was written by Han Yongchang for 36Kr.