Less than ten days after BYD unveiled potentially game-changing EV charging technology, the Chinese auto conglomerate doubled down on its implementation plans and has shared that the first 1,000 kW fast chargers examples will be available to drivers as early as next week.
Today’s exciting news dates back to a story that began a mere few weeks ago. We reported that Build Your Dreams (BYD) was teasing a new high-performance EV platform alongside pre-sales of two new all-electric models that will utilize EV faster charger technology capable of rates as high as 1,000 kW.
As promised, BYD confirmed its new 1,000V Super E-Platform on March 17, capable of charging 1MW+ (1,000 kW) rates. The new EV architecture, supported by a new line of BYD fast chargers, enables up to 400km (249 miles) of range in a mere five minutes of charging.
At the time, BYD divulged plans to implement over 4,000 ultra-fast charging stations around China to support EV models capable of these industry-leading charging speeds. However, the timeline of that rollout remained unknown to the public.
Today, however, we have learned that the development of BYD’s new 1,000 kW fast chargers is quite far along, so much so that the Chinese auto conglomerate intends to install hundreds in early April.
1,000 kW BYD fast charger expected in early April
As reported by CNEVPost, BYD’s ultra-fast chargers capable of 1,000 kW rates will be ready for use in April. According to BYD’s general manager of brand and public relations, Li Yunfei, the company’s plans for installing 4,000 of these new EV fast chargers are already underway.
Furthermore, the initial rollout of 500 chargers is said to be ready to go when the recently announced Han L and Tang L EVs, which feature BYD’s new Super E-Platform technology, launch in early April.
While we still don’t have a concrete timeline on when BYD expects to put all 4,000 planned fast chargers into operation, the news that it already has 500 ready to install is encouraging. Since many potential sites don’t have the power capacity to support such tremendous charging rates, BYD also plans to install energy storage facilities onsite (see image above) to ensure its drivers can achieve replenish speeds as close to 1,000 kW as possible.
Li also shared that the two new BYD BEVs on the Super E-Platform will debut with “11 world’s firsts,” including 1 MW fast charging capabilities. As such, Li said many people don’t believe such capabilities are true but invite those naysayers to come and experience the technology firsthand when it comes online in China. Even with charging technology that is unquestionably the fastest in the world, Li relayed a sense of humility and hope for the future in the form of friendly competition:
In some technologies, BYD is currently leading, but it is possible that in time, it will be surpassed by other companies with even better technologies, which is a good thing! The road to electrification and intelligence is wide, and companies with good technology and products can all be accommodated by the market.
We will keep an eye on these planned installations in China and perhaps might be able to experience them in person when we are at the Shanghai Auto Show next month. Stay tuned!
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