Tesla Supercharger who? BYD confirms 1,500kW Flash charging network for the UK
Chinese automotive giant BYD has confirmed it will install 300 ‘Flash’-branded 1,500kW charge points across the UK during the next 12 months.
Comprising a total of 600 chargers nationwide, the 1,500kW BYD Flash chargers will be by far the UK’s fastest EV charging network, eclipsing the quickest Tesla Supercharger by a whopping 1,250kW.
BYD says there will be 6,000 Flash charging network locations globally, and its luxury brand, Denza, is “ready to bring these breakthroughs to customers in Europe”, aligning with the continental arrival of its Z9 GT (pictured below) later this month.
The Z9 GT is available as either a plug-in hybrid or a full-EV, with the latter driven by a 122kWh version of BYD’s chassis-integrated Blade battery that can be charged from 10% t0 70% in five minutes using a Flash charger.
A full charge using BYD’s Flash charging network is achievable in nine minutes. Meanwhile, a 20% to 97% charge in temperatures as low as -30°C is manageable in 12.
While pricing for the Flash charging network has yet to be announced, early adopters of the Denza Z9 GT will benefit from 18 months’ worth of free Flash charging via its Flash Pass.
The BYD Flash chargers will be open to all car manufacturers and will adopt the universal CCS2 charging infrastructure. At Denza showrooms, they will be branded ‘Denza’ but will go under the Flash moniker elsewhere. Final details of the Flash charging network’s whereabouts have yet to be confirmed, but BYD says high-traffic locations will be prioritised.
On-site solar panels can be used to top up the flash chargers, and BYD is in talks with several partners to install them at existing charge-point sites.
The BYD Denza will be priced from around £100,000 in the UK, and deliveries are expected to begin in autumn this year after dealerships open in June or July. In rear-wheel drive (RWD) guise, the Z9 GT achieves up to 497 miles on a single charge, while the tri-motor version produces a colossal 947bhp.
