BYD is bringing its 1,500kW Flash charging network to the UK. The Chinese company plans to install 300 ultra-rapid devices by the end of next year.
The company’s targeting prices that would undercut established rapid-charging providers – despite offering speeds several times higher than current options.
Flash chargers are BYD’s answer to Tesla’s Supercharger network. The rollout will be aggressive, with around 3,000 units planned across Europe by 2027.
These chargers will focus on motorways and high-traffic locations. BYD says that’ll put a Flash charger roughly every 50km, about 31 miles apart.
Tesla currently operates around 20,000 Superchargers in Europe across 1,500 sites. But at a peak of 1,500kW, Flash devices offer three times the output of Tesla’s fastest hardware.
Speed Comes With Conditions
There’s a catch. While Flash chargers work with any EV that has a standard CCS port, the full 1,500kW is reserved for BYD-built cars with dual charging ports.
The Denza Z9 GT shooting brake will be first to benefit when it arrives in the UK in September. Future Denza models – including the B5 SUV and D9 MPV – will follow thanks to the second-generation Blade battery that powers the technology.
There’s no word yet on when it’ll trickle down to the mainstream BYD range.
The numbers are striking. At full speed, a Flash charger takes the Z9 from 10 to 70 percent in five minutes. It reaches 97 percent in another four minutes.
Even at -30°C, BYD claims only three more minutes are needed.
Pricing Strategy Targets Competition
It’s the pricing ambition that should worry the competition most. Flash chargers draw power from on-site batteries replenished overnight at off-peak grid rates.
This allows BYD to sell energy far more cheaply than conventional rapid networks.
BYD UK boss Bono Ge explained the firm wants to be “sub-50 pence” per kWh in the ideal scenario. He described roughly 50p as “the sweet point” – substantially undercutting rapid chargers from Ionity, Gridserve and InstaVolt.
“We do not want them to pay a more expensive price,” he said of Denza drivers.
Ge said the low price is possible because each Flash unit can serve far more cars per day than rival devices, using energy bought at lower cost.
Owners of other brands’ EVs may pay more depending on commercial agreements with the charge point operators who’ll run the network.
“If we work with CPOs, we will probably offer a special rate for BYD customers, and then we need to match their prices for non-BYD customers,” he said.
UK Rollout Plans
The locations of the first UK Flash chargers aren’t confirmed yet. BYD says 30 to 40 of its UK dealerships already have the necessary power connections and have begun seeking planning permission.
The company’s also in talks with supermarket chains about installing Flash chargers in their car parks. The first European Flash stations have already gone live in Germany.
Echoing Tesla’s free Supercharging offer to early Model S buyers, the UK’s first Denza customers will get 18 months of free Flash charging.
Ge’s “only concern” is planning permission – long one of the biggest obstacles to new charging sites in a UK network that’s just passed 120,000 public devices.
Partnering with existing operators eases that worry because they hold permission at relevant sites already. Though “the challenge” will be striking a commercial agreement that benefits both sides.
