BYD unveils super-fast EV battery system with 400 km range in just 5-min charge, outpacing Tesla

BYD's new batteries allow for a range of around 400 kilometers with just five minutes of charging.

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker BYD claims its new battery and charging system can charge almost as fast as it takes a regular car to refuel.

BYD's large cylindrical cell batteries are pictured at Smart Energy Week showcasing technologies and information in the energy industry, in Tokyo, Japan February 19, 2025. (Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

This also comes with a range of around 400 kilometers with just five minutes of charging, according to a Bloomberg report. The company will debut the platform on the models Han L and the Tang L from next month onwards, starting from 270,000 yuan ($37,338) and 280,000 yuan, respectively.

This may also be a much more convincing sell since long wait times for charging are barriers of inconvenience for people, leading them not to choose an EV.

This new platform will also be another huge boost for BYD which had already overtaken Tesla as the world's top EV seller. The BYD chargers can comfortably surpass Tesla’s Superchargers, which can add up to 275 kilometers of range in 15 minutes.

Mercedes-Benz had also unveiled a new entry-level CLA electric sedan last week which can add 325 kilometers in 10 minutes of charging.

On top of this, there are performance gains with BYD's new EV platform too. The report quoted Chairman and founder Wang Chuanfu as saying that it will allow cars to reach a speed of 100 kilometers per hour in just 2 seconds.

When it comes to competitor Tesla, its China sales plunged 49% in February from a year earlier to just 30,688 vehicles. This is the lowest monthly figure since in July 2022.

BYD however, sold over 318,000 passenger vehicles last month, which is up 161% from a year earlier.

Though BYD has also committed to build more charging stations across China, Tesla has a larger network of more than 65,000 Superchargers worldwide.

BYD's new battery system is also a threat to Amperex Technology Co. Ltd, which is currently the world’s largest manufacturer of EV batteries.