BYD will bring its first 1,000-kW charging stations online next month, as the automaker prepares for the official launch of its Han L sedan and Tang L SUV, a company executive said on Thursday.
The ultrafast chargers, first unveiled on March 17, can add 2 kilometers of range per second or 400 kilometers in five minutes, BYD said at the time. The company is planning to deploy 4,000 of these stations, with an initial batch of 500 set to be operational by early April.
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“Some time ago, we released the BYD Super e-Platform, which contains nearly 11 world firsts such as 1-MW flash charging, a motor with up to 30,000 rpm, and high-voltage silicon carbide modules,” said Li Yunfei, BYD’s general manager of brand and public relations. “However, due to the fact that the technology is so advanced, many people don’t believe that they are real.”
BYD’s new chargers will operate with energy storage systems to maintain high power output even in areas with limited grid capacity.
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The 1-MW charging capability is achieved using BYD’s latest blade battery, which the company has redesigned for improved ion transport and lower resistance. It supports charging voltages of up to 1,000 V and currents up to 1,000 A, the highest among mass-produced EV batteries, BYD said.
Li emphasized that BYD remains focused on mass production, noting that the company quickly brings innovations to market. “The road to electrification and intelligence is wide, and companies with good technology and products can all be accommodated by the market,” he said.
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BYD’s new infrastructure rollout comes as the industry sees increasing competition in high-speed charging. The company’s chargers offer twice the peak power of Tesla’s (NASDAQ: TSLA) latest V4 Superchargers, which have a maximum output of 500 kW.
While BYD is leading in some areas of EV technology, Li acknowledged that competition remains dynamic. “It is possible that in time, it will be surpassed by other companies with even better technologies, which is a good thing!” he said.