BYD Blade Battery 2.0 slashes charging times to just 5 minutes
BYD has reduced its EV charging times to as little as five minutes with its newly released Blade Battery 2.0 and 1.5-megawatt (1,500kW) Flash charger.
The Chinese automotive giant’s Blade Battery 2.0 can charge from 20% to 97% in just 12 minutes in temperatures as low as -30°C. Under standard weather conditions, a 10% to 70% top-up is achievable in five minutes, and a 10% to 90% charge takes nine minutes.
In addition to returning charging speeds comparable to refuelling a petrol or diesel car at a fuel station, the BYD Blade Battery 2.0 offers a range of over 621 miles, albeit on the generous Chinese CLTC efficiency cycle.
Over six years, BYD has developed the Blade Battery 2.0, which addresses the ongoing challenges of slow charging speeds and poor low-temperature performance, both crucial to the wider adoption of electric vehicles.
BYD achieved this latest battery milestone by developing a ‘FlashPass’ ion transport system that “pushes the boundaries of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries”. This latest battery tech also features self-repairing technology and has passed several safety tests.
The Blade Battery 2.0’s safety test included a simultaneous Flash-charging and nail-penetration test, resulting in no thermal runaway, smoke, or fire after 500 Flash charges.
The unit also passed another thermal runaway test without fire or explosion after the forced short circuit of four cells simultaneously, despite its temperature exceeding 700°C.
The Flash charger delivers charging speeds of up to 1.5MW and has a unique T-shaped canopy. Unlike most other regular charging hubs, the Flash charging station has roof-mounted, pulley-based cables. BYD says this eliminates the issue of them getting wet or dirty after contact with the ground.
At the time of writing, there are 4,239 Flash chargers installed in BYD’s home market, China, and it expects to have 20,000 operational globally by the end of 2026. BYD also confirmed that it will introduce megawatt chargers to the UK later this year.
The technology’s arrival will coincide with the launch of BYD’s premium brand, Denza. Its debut UK car will be the Porsche Taycan-rivalling Z9GT, which benefits from Flash charging capabilities and the latest Blade Battery 2.0.
