BYD Strikes a Blow to Rivals with 5-Minute Electric Car

Byd, the Chinese company’s competitor to Elon Musk’s Tesla and backed by Warren Buffett, has shaken up the global automotive sector.

Billionaire Wang Chuanfu, founder of Shenzhen-based BYD, unveiled a new charging system capable of adding approximately 470 kilometers of driving range to BYD’s batteries in just five minutes. The launch of the system, dubbed the “Super E-Platform,” was enough to propel BYD to the forefront of the industry’s widespread race to develop battery cells for electric vehicles that would make charging as fast as filling up conventional cars.

This announcement comes after the company unveiled its advanced driving assistance system in February, which it made available for free on all its models. According to BYD, the new platform has a charging power of 1,000 kW and can reach 1,000 amps, meaning it can charge batteries at a rate of 2 kilometers per second and add a driving range of 400 kilometers in five minutes. The company’s launch of this technology means BYD has overcome several obstacles to ultra-fast charging, including safety risks, shorter battery life, and the additional costs associated with installing ultra-fast charging platforms.