BYD Unveils Blade EV Battery With 9-Minute Charging
Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD has introduced a new generation of its Blade battery technology alongside an ultra-fast charging system capable of significantly reducing EV charging times.
The company revealed the second-generation Blade battery platform during its Disruptive Technology event, highlighting what it described as a major step toward making electric vehicle charging as quick and convenient as refuelling petrol-powered cars.
According to BYD, the newly introduced Flash charging system can charge a battery from 10 percent to 70 percent in about five minutes and from 10 percent to 97 percent in roughly nine minutes under normal temperature conditions. Even in extreme cold, around minus 30 degrees Celsius, the system is expected to charge a battery from 20 percent to 97 percent in about 12 minutes.
Wang Chuanfu said drivers are advised to charge the battery up to 97 percent rather than a full 100 percent, as the remaining capacity can be filled through regenerative braking during driving.
The company also highlighted improvements in driving range. The new platform is rated for up to 1,006 kilometres on the China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle (CLTC), a testing method commonly used in China.
For comparison, the first-generation Blade battery offered a maximum range of about 600 kilometres. While the CLTC rating is generally considered more optimistic than testing standards used elsewhere, the figure still suggests a substantial increase in battery performance.
When converted to the Environmental Protection Agency EV range standard scale commonly used in the United States, the 1,006-kilometre CLTC range is estimated to translate to roughly 706 kilometres, or about 439 miles.
Advances in battery capacity and charging speed have been key to addressing “range anxiety,” a concern that previously discouraged many consumers from switching to electric vehicles due to fears about running out of charge and the time required to recharge.
BYD said it plans to support the new battery system with a large rollout of Flash charging infrastructure across China. The company aims to deploy about 20,000 charging stations by the end of 2026, expanding access to rapid charging technology as electric vehicle adoption continues to grow.
