At this rate, charging an electric car will be faster than refuelling a combustion one: BYD's Super e-Platform already recharges 400 km in 5 minutes

BYD, who else, is revolutionising electric car charging with its new Super e-Platform, practically matching, at last, the time it takes to charge a battery for a stress-free journey with the time needed to refuel a petrol or diesel vehicle. No less than two kilometres of range per second, or recovering 400 km in five minutes, is what this new architecture allows, which the Chinese brand has just unveiled initially for the new HAN L and TANG L models sold on the local market.

Initially, these models use a platform with a single 580 kW (789 CV) motor, which once again sets a new record: it can operate at rotational speeds of up to 30,000 rpm, far exceeding the 23,000 rpm boasted by the Sealion 7. There will also be versions with two motors, exceeding 1,000 CV of power. Now we will have to see whether these models reach Europe, when they do… and in which other electric vehicles BYD incorporates this technology, which in principle seems reserved for the top-of-the-range models.

Ultra-rapid charging: up to 1,360 kW of power

The key to this new architecture is that it raises the voltage to 1,000 volts, with a maximum charging power of up to 1,000 kW. By way of comparison, a Porsche Taycan, with its 800-volt architecture, accepts a maximum charging power of 320 kW. BYD does not disclose the total battery charging time for the new models with this architecture, but it mentions maximum charging currents of up to 1,000 amperes and maximum charge rates of 10C, values that no other series-production vehicle manufacturer has come even close to achieving until now.

This charge rate means that if the battery has a capacity of 100 kWh, it can accept a charging power of 1 megawatt. To achieve these figures, BYD has overcome the thermal and chemical limitations that batteries present by using a new generation of silicon carbide chips that operate at a nominal voltage of up to 1,500 volts, again the highest value in the automotive industry.

But there is no point having a vehicle with such advanced charging technology if suitable charging stations do not exist. And here, BYD once again sets the pace, presenting the first ultra-rapid charging station capable of delivering a maximum power of up to 1,360 kW, which even features liquid cooling. The brand’s plans include building more than 4,000 stations of this type in China. In addition, BYD has also developed a technology that allows existing chargers to be upgraded and converted into ultra-rapid charging stations.