BYD is trying to defy traditionally understood laws of physics and has confirmed a ‘flash’ charging system that can recharge an EV battery to around 400km of range in only five minutes. Wait, what?
Yep, the BYD Super e Platform can now hit a peak power delivery of 1,000kW via “a new generation of automotive-grade silicon carbide power chips,” a fancy single-module motor capable of 30,000rpm, and a comprehensively upgraded three-core electrical system. That megawatt is twice the power of the latest generation of Tesla Supercharger.
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And breathe. Of course, not every car is built to support such speeds, so you can’t quite yet plug in your Leaf and hope for the best—you’d melt your cable, for starters. No, in the “kilovolt era,” as BYD calls it, vehicles will need 1,000V architecture with batteries, motors, and heat management capable of supporting such crazy charging rates.
That’s why the carmaker has upgraded its posh China-only Han L and Tang L EV sedans with the whole shebang. That includes a new battery designed to cut internal resistance by 50%. To achieve this, there’s an ultra-high-speed ion channel from the anode to the cathode.
That’s seriously impressive—internal resistance inside the battery builds up over charging time and slows down the charging rate. So essentially, by doubling the power delivery and halving internal resistance, BYD reckons the Super e power system can deliver almost 400km of charge in only five minutes. Woah.
Chuanfu Wang, BYD Group chief, said: “In order to completely solve users’ charging anxiety, our goal is to make the charging time of electric vehicles as short as the refueling time of ICE vehicles.”
How does a future full of megawatt charging for kilovolt cars sound to you?
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
