BYD has officially unveiled its second-generation Blade Battery and a groundbreaking 1,500kW ‘Flash Charging’ system that can recharge an electric vehicle from 10% to 97% in just nine minutes.

The new-gen Blade Battery and Flash Charging make recharging as easy as refuelling

The “world’s most advanced power battery” works with the “world’s fastest mass-produced EV charger” to make recharging as easy as refuelling. Together, the two new technologies deliver remarkable recharging speeds, regardless of the conditions.

A 10% to 70% refill takes as little as five minutes. Even when the temperature is -30deg C – which would normally result in a drastic reduction in charging speeds – the Flash Charger can take a Blade Battery 2.0 from 20% to 97% in 12 minutes.

At the same time, the Blade Battery itself is capable of longer distances on a single charge; thanks to a 5% gain in energy density, ranges of more than 621 miles (1,000km) are now possible (based on the Chinese CLTC efficiency test).

The new technologies are the result of intensive development by BYD, following extensive research into the barriers consumers still feel are present between them and pure-electric mobility. Despite remarkable gains in EV market penetration in most significant new-car markets worldwide, the fact remains that most buyers of pure-ICE vehicles don’t pay much attention to the size of the car’s fuel tank, whereas many EV customers are focused on battery capacity and range, even paying significant premiums for a few kilometres more.

Wang Chuanfu, chairman and president of BYD, said that while most buyers of pure-ICE vehicles don’t pay much attention to the size of the car’s fuel tank, many EV customers are focused on battery capacity and range, even paying significant premiums for a few kilometres more.

Speaking at a showcase in China, Chuanfu said that the industry needs to address the lingering challenge of slow charging speeds and poor low-temperature charging performance if the remaining consumers are to commit to electric mobility.

BYD added that the technical achievements in energy density and charging speed have not come at the cost of safety or durability. The Chinese brand also said the Blade Battery 2.0 brings an advance in LFP battery durability; compared with the original Blade Battery, its overall capacity degradation is reduced by 2.5%.

The brand has already installed 4,239 Flash Charging stations across China and plans to have 20,000 in operation by the end of this year. To support this scale and speed of rollout in a wide variety of locations, the station is paired with an ultra-fast-discharge energy storage system that helps to break through grid restrictions. It uses a battery that gets recharged at slower speeds, and can act as both an energy reservoir to prevent grid overload and a power amplifier that enables high-power charging.

BYD has also committed to make its Flash Charging Stations available globally.

The European rollout of Flash Charging and the Blade Battery 2.0 will be led by the Denza Z9GT, a flagship shooting-brake grand tourer from BYD’s premium brand. Final specifications of the European version of the car will be issued in the coming weeks.