BYD unveils 1,000V Super e-Platform with megawatt charging capabilities
BYD has introduced its new 1,000V Super e-Platform, which delivers the world’s fastest mass-production EV charging speed at up to one megawatt.
The technology allows the China-exclusive BYD Han L and Tang L models to add 1.2 miles of range every second, or 250 miles in just five minutes – comparable to refueling a conventional gasoline vehicle.
BYD’s Super e-Platform features a 30,000rpm single motor that produces 778bhp and can reach speeds exceeding 186mph.
Wang Chuanfu, BYD’s chairman and president, said the 1,000V architecture was developed to “completely eliminate users’ charging anxiety.” The company aims to “make EV charging as fast as refuelling a gasoline car by achieving oil-electric parity in charging speed.”
Despite these advancements, European customers will have to wait.
At the Sealion 7 SUV launch, BYD executive vice-president Stella Li told UK journalists: “Someday we may bring megawatt charging to Europe, but not now.”
Li explained that the super-rapid charging only works with vehicles built on the 1000V Super e-Platform, and it would take several years before any such models reach European markets.
This timeline seems at odds with BYD’s aggressive European expansion plans. The company expects to double its European sales from 83,000 vehicles in 2024 to 186,000 this year. BYD is also reportedly considering a factory in Germany to circumvent EU tariffs on Chinese-made vehicles.
In China, BYD plans to install over 4,000 megawatt chargers nationwide in coming years. These “flash chargers” use fully liquid-cooled technology capable of delivering up to 1,360kW.
Currently in Europe, megawatt charging technology is only used for electric heavy goods vehicles.
