Tech Tonic | BYD’s ultra-fast EV charging tech will need infrastructure support

What BYD delivered as a combination of physical battery composition, architecture, charging technology, is not incremental progress. But there are warning signs

10 minute grocery deliveries. 20 minute food deliveries. Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past few years, you’d have likely seen the same expanse of time shorten rapidly. Perhaps not exactly an expanse of time, but we’re impatient. Our lives are weaved in such a way, everything must be instant (gratification too, it’s metric being social media engagements). Perhaps where speed makes sense, for reasons of convenience, utility and even safety, is with how quickly electric vehicles can charge their batteries.

Tech Tonic | BYD’s ultra-fast EV charging tech will need infrastructure support

Chinese automakers are quietly pushing the technology envelope, and most of us don’t even realise it. That likely stems from an electric vehicle (EV) obsession that’s revolving around Tesla (recent, un-likeable political stunts by Elon Musk contribute) and the US as well as European car markets. Perhaps the world knows a little more about Chinese automaker Build Your Dreams, or BYD, because they made moves towards a global footprint. BYD also sells cars in India, for context. It must be said that the Chinese automakers with their scale, and Indian EV makers such as Tata Motors with their ingenuity, are making a strong case for electric vehicles.

Their latest technological step forward, unveiled just this week (I’d imagine to gasps of excitement and a look of disbelief from EV competition) — the Blade Battery tech which is part of a Super e-Platform that can charge their EV battery at the rate of two kilometres of drive time, per second. Per second. The demo vehicle — their new Han sedan.

That, by my calculation, means around 120km of drive time per minute. But this is electricity and battery physics at play (heat, temperature, voltage, quality of current, to name a few); therefore, BYD claims all variations considered within those 5 minutes, the battery will get enough charge still to drive anothe

r 400km. And these are powerful EVs, mind you. Not some puny ones that sip battery while trundling along. Another Chinese automaker, Li Auto Inc., which uses batteries from Contemporary Amperex Technology company, claims to deliver 500km drive time worth of charge in around 12 minutes (that’s at a rate of 42km per minute of charging).

If you are wondering where Tesla and their famed superchargers fit in this hierarchy, it is behind the new Mercedes Benz CLA sedan (325km in 10 minutes). Tesla’s Superchargers, till now considered among the fastest in the industry, add about 275km of range in 15 minutes. There will of course be real-world variations to this number, depending on aforementioned factors and conditions.

What BYD has managed to deliver as a combination of physical battery composition, architecture and charging technology, is certainly not incremental progress.

BYD’s Blade Battery, first introduced in 2020, is built on lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry, a composition that imbibes more thermal stability and safety. Unlike nickel- and cobalt-based batteries, LFP also doesn’t rely on scarce, expensive materials, making it cheaper to make. As well as potentially more sustainable, something that’ll be relevant with mass production. The original Blade design introduced a “cell-to-pack” structure, which boosts energy density by as much as 50% compared to traditional LFP batteries. It is claimed to be able to withstand extreme tests, such as nail penetration, without catching fire. Prime relevance for EVs, as they drive in varied surfaces and road conditions.

The new iteration, announced this week, takes this foundation further. BYD says it has redesigned the battery to enable faster ion transfer in the electrolyte and reduce resistance through the diaphragm, minimising heat buildup during ultra-fast charging. This is critical, simply because rapid charging generates heat, which can degrade battery life or, in worst-case scenarios, trigger thermal runaway. It is true for fast charging phones. Doubly so for much bigger EV batteries.

By keeping temperatures in check, BYD ensures the battery remains durable, with a lifespan exceeding 3,000 charge cycles being claimed. The Super e-Platform, underpinning this tech, focuses on efficiency, with advanced thermal management and powertrain systems. Vehicles such as the Han and Tang SUV find a serious performance orientation, with 0-100 km/h possible in just two seconds. Speed freaks, take note.

But it isn’t just fast charging tech, earn the plaudits, and ignore the finer details. BYD plans to build over 4,000 high-speed charging stations across China, and once that’s ready (which I am sure will happen in quick time), you’ve got an ecosystem primed to make five-minute charging a reality. As you travel the length of the country.

This isn’t just a win for BYD. It is in fact a wake-up call for the broader EV industry. Tesla previously set the pace with its Supercharger network, but BYD’s breakthrough could shift the competitive landscape. Tesla’s China shipments dropped 49% in February 2025 while BYD’s sales soared 161% to over 318,000 vehicles.

It’s not all smooth sailing. There are warning signs.

Five-minute charging demands chargers capable of delivering massive power—think 600 kW (Kilowatt) or more—far beyond most current stations. Without widespread infrastructure upgrades, this tech’s potential could stall. Battery degradation under repeated ultra-fast charging also needs real-world validation; lab claims don’t always translate to daily use. And while LFP’s safety is a plus, its energy density still trails nickel-based chemistries, potentially limiting range in compact packs that smaller and more affordable cars would require.

The key here is, BYD’s new ultra-fast-charging tech is available on car models with prices starting at around $50,000 (around ₹43,00,000 onwards, as of current currency rates). The ‘democratisation’ as they say has to happen at some point, which will see this functionality trickle down to more affordable vehicles too. It is a big market opportunity, and one wouldn’t bet against BYD doing it. But can another EV maker do that faster, instead?

Beyond Tesla, this pressures legacy automakers like Ford and Volkswagen, whose market caps BYD has already surpassed (valued at $162 billion now). It also challenges battery giants like CATL, whose latest offerings achieve 500 kilometers of range in 12 minutes—impressive, but not five-minute impressive. BYD’s cost advantage is that LFP batteries are 30-40% cheaper to produce than nickel-based alternatives, something that will certainly eat into competitors’ margins, especially as it scales production.

Globally, this tech will certainly turbocharge EV adoption. In markets like India, where quick commerce thrives on five-minute delivery expectations, a parallel in faster EV charging could resonate deeply. Different contours in Europe and the U.S., where charging infrastructure still doesn’t prioritise speed over volume (of charging stations), BYD’s push might spur quick investments in ultra-fast networks. All in all, this is space one that’ll see a lot of transition in the coming months. I will keep a keen eye on this, for sure.

Vishal Mathur is the technology editor for HT. Tech Tonic is a weekly column that looks at the impact of personal technology on the way we live, and vice-versa. The views expressed are personal.