BYD has unveiled breakthrough electric vehicle technology that could deliver c.250 miles of range in five minutes, ending charging anxiety.

BYD said megawatt flash charging would open the era of “fuel and electricity at the same speed”

Its new Super e-Platform overhauls core electric components – motor, electronic control and battery – and will set world records in the mass-produced electric vehicle ecosystem, according to the Chinese automaker.

The platform is based on a 1000V vehicle architecture that enables charging power of one megawatt (1,000kW) – the highest peak charging speed for mass-production vehicles. EVs built on the Super e-Platform will be able to add 2km (1.2 miles) of range per second and 400km (248 miles) in a ‘five-minute flash charge’.

At the launch event in Shenzhen, Wang Chuanfu, chairman and president of BYD Group, said megawatt flash charging would open the era of “fuel and electricity at the same speed” and wipe out the biggest remaining ‘pain point’ for electric vehicle users.

He commented: “To completely eliminate users’ charging anxiety, our goal is to make EV charging as fast as refuelling a gasoline car – achieving ‘oil-electric parity’ in charging speed.”

The super-fast charging is reliant on new charging stations to operate at its full capacity and BYD says it’s developed new liquid-cooled charging stations that can deliver a maximum output of 1,360kW. It’s planning to build over 4,000 ‘megawatt flash-charging’ stations across China.

But it’s also developed ‘dual-gun charging’ technology that can instantly upgrade fast chargers to ultra-fast chargers and superchargers to flash chargers.

At the launch event in Shenzhen, BYD also revealed its latest developments in electric motors. Showcased in its China-only Han L and Tang L EVs, the single motor outputs 789hp is capable of running at up to 30,000rpm, delivering high top speed and rapid acceleration.

The Super e-Platform also introduces BYD’s ‘Flash Charging Battery’, which features an ultra-fast ion channel from the battery’s anode to cathode for a maximum charging current of 1,000A and a maximum charging rate of 10C – both mass-production benchmarks again, according to the firm.