With the launch of its latest car the Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD has made a simple promise to its drivers: “Ready in five, full in nine.”
This refers to the number of minutes it takes to recharge the car’s battery: five minutes to go from 10 per cent full to 70 per cent and nine minutes to be boosted from 10 per cent to 97. In colder temperatures — as low as -30C — it will take 12 minutes.
With the fastest-charging EVs on the market taking around 20 minutes to get up to 80 per cent charge, the Denza Z9GT could be revolutionary for the sector.
It is because the car is able to utilise BYD’s “flash chargers”, with hundreds set to be installed in the UK across the next year.
These single-cable, high-voltage systems are capable of delivering 1,500kW of power to a car, making them four times more powerful than most high-speed public chargers in the UK.
“They are the first brand that has been able to say we can do this,” said Paul Barker, the editor of Auto Express magazine. “It’s been getting faster and faster but this is a massive leap forward.
“BYD were battery experts before they started building cars; they’ve always been at the forefront. They are starting from a position where they are ahead of the curve on battery tech.”
But there are issues, chief of which is that the charging system is so powerful that no car currently sold in the UK is capable of harnessing its full output. Most European EVs are only capable of charging speeds of up to 350kW or less.
The Denza Z9GT, which can utilise flash charging because of its Blade 2.0 lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack, will go on sale in the UK from later this year — but it is set to be a high-end model, according to experts.
“It’s going into quite an expensive car,” said Ginny Buckley, the editor-in-chief of electrifying.com. “Will the technology filter down? Probably not, because the reality is most cars won’t need this.
“It’s alright saying a car can charge extremely quickly but you need a charger that is compatible.”
There is also concern about charger installation across the UK. “They will probably try to put them on motorway services and at the moment quite a few areas where service centres are don’t have the grid capacity,” said Gary Comerford, host of The EV musings Podcast.
“Even if it is there and every charger can do it, it won’t make a lot of difference. Ninety-five per cent of charging I do is at my house, so I’m rarely going to use a 1500kW charger. Even if I did, the fact I can get out in five minutes is not a benefit of me, I’m stopping because I need a coffee, something to eat. Now I just plug in and 10 minutes later I’m back in my car and done.
“But it’s definitely a positive thing but it’s more of a benefit to people who don’t drive an EV than those who do. It will get them over the hurdle of ‘Oh, I’m gonna sit there for hours charging.’”
Although Chinese brands now account for a rapidly growing number of EV sales in the UK, European manufacturers are also innovating: the BMW iX3 and Volvo EX60, are capable of 200 miles on a ten-minute charge.
“They are a little behind but it’s not the death knell for European brands,” said Barker. “They learn quickly.”
