Chinese automaker BYD has revealed a new generation of electric vehicle chargers that can add 160 miles of range in just five minutes. The company calls them “Flash Chargers,” and they deliver up to 1,500 kilowatts of power per bay. That’s more than three times faster than the best chargers available in the US and Europe, which typically top out at 250 to 350 kilowatts.
BYD’s new Flash Chargers deliver 1,500 kilowatts per bay — adding 160 miles of range in just five minutes.
To put the speed in perspective, every single second of charging adds about 2 kilometers of range. A driver can go from 10% to 70% battery in five minutes, or from 10% to 97% in just nine minutes. BYD says that’s comparable to the time it takes to fill up a gas tank.
The chargers use a T-shaped dual-gun design that hangs overhead. Each unit has a small footprint of just 1.5 square meters, and the cables are lightweight at around 2 kilograms thanks to liquid cooling. A sliding rail system makes the cables easier to handle. The charger also supports pull-through charging, which means drivers of trucks and trailers don’t have to unhitch their vehicles.
To handle this kind of charging speed, BYD developed a new battery called the Blade Battery 2.0 with a FlashPass ion system. It charges at a 10C rate, meaning it can pull 1,000 amps of current. The battery also has 50% less internal resistance than before and packs 5% more energy, supporting a range of up to 450 miles.
BYD already has 4,239 of these flash chargers installed across China, with plans to expand to 20,000 by the end of 2026. The company’s also planning to bring the technology to Europe. BYD plans rapid expansion including new stations along Chinese highways, targeting one charger roughly every 100 kilometers. To reduce strain on the power grid, the chargers are paired with energy storage systems. Each station is capable of charging more than 20 vehicles consecutively without interruption.
The first generation of flash chargers launched on March 17, 2025. BYD’s offering a year of free flash charging to drivers of compatible vehicles. Lower-powered versions (200–600 kW) are reportedly in development for buyers who don’t need the full charging speed.
References
- https://insidechinaauto.com/2026/02/04/leaked-byd-charger-specs-show-1500-kw-charging-capability/
- https://electrek.co/2026/03/05/byds-new-1500kw-flash-charger-is-over-3x-faster-than-anything-us-has/
- https://chargedevs.com/newswire/byd-unveils-1500-kw-ev-charging-station-to-go-with-its-450-mile-ev-battery/
- https://www.byd.com/en/news-list/BYD-Unveils-Super-e-Platform-Megawatt-Flash-Charging-Electric-Vehicles-Matching-Refueling-Speeds.html
- https://www.evinfrastructurenews.com/ev-technology/byd-s-1-5mw-flash-ev-charger-launched-in-china-due-for-global-rollout
- https://cnevpost.com/2026/03/16/byd-to-bring-1500-kw-flash-chargers-to-europe/
- https://www.autoweek.com/news/a70640835/byd-five-minute-ev-charging/
