Chinese electric vehicle makers are pushing the limits of ultra-fast charging, aiming to make refueling electric cars as quick as filling a petrol tank. Companies like BYD, XPeng, Huawei, and Zeekr are leading the charge.

In March, BYD unveiled its new Flash Chargers, capable of delivering up to 1.5 megawatts of power. These chargers can take a battery from 10% to 70% in just five minutes and nearly full in under ten, dramatically shrinking one of the biggest obstacles to EV adoption: charging time.

BYD credited the breakthrough to tighter control over its battery and vehicle manufacturing, along with the use of lithium manganese iron phosphate batteries, which offer higher energy density. The company plans to roll out more than 16,000 chargers across China this year, with expansion into Europe in the works, though real-world deployment still faces infrastructure hurdles.

Other Chinese innovators, including CATL, Huawei, and Zeekr, are also racing to perfect ultra-fast charging, cementing China’s dominance in the global EV technology arena.