BYD increased its 1,500kW charging network twofold within five months and aims to replicate this growth by December.
BYD inaugurated its 10,000th Flash Charging station in Shenzhen on August 28, as reported by CnEVPost. This expansion doubles the network within a span of less than five months. Each connector can provide up to 1,500kW, and a second-generation Blade battery can charge from 10% to 97% in just nine minutes using one of these chargers, based on BYD's own data for its latest vehicles.
The company has set a goal of reaching 20,000 stations by the end of this year, which translates to approximately 80 new stations daily, compared to the 34 stations per day it has averaged since April, according to calculations by InsideEVs.
After six months of operation, the network has shown significant usage, delivering 210 million kWh to 1.83 million drivers, with nearly one-third of these drivers not belonging to the BYD brand.
The majority of funding is not from BYD alone; around 18,000 of the 20,000 stations are being constructed through partnerships with companies such as Sinopec, PetroChina, CNOOC, Teld, and JD.com. China's major oil companies are also installing megawatt EV chargers at their gas stations, now extending coverage to over 300 cities. Plans are in place to establish the first 300 stations outside of China in the United Kingdom by the year's end.
European regulations specify charging standards measured in hundreds of kilowatts. The AFIR mandates that a charging hub every 60 kilometers on main road networks should provide a total output of 400kW by the end of this year, increasing to 600kW along with two 150kW points by 2027.
When comparing this to a single Chinese connector, it becomes clear that one BYD connector can supply two and a half times the amount that an entire European site is required to deliver by 2027.
The challenging aspect is not the stations themselves; each one is paired with on-site battery storage that manages a level of draw that typical distribution connections cannot support.
Meanwhile, European charging has focused on a different challenge, mainly developing curbside chargers for residents who park on the street.
Both needs exist simultaneously; a continent might require slow chargers for residential areas while also facing a deficit in infrastructure for main routes, and the two issues do not address each other.
In the competitive landscape, Chinese brands have captured a record portion of the European car market, prompting a parallel growth in charging stations to support these vehicles.
This is an essential aspect to monitor. If all 300 British locations open as scheduled, the discussion will shift from specifications in a datasheet to the identity of those who constructed the chargers.
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BYD increased its 1,500kW charging network twofold within five months and aims to replicate this growth by December.
BYD inaugurated its 10,000th 1,500kW Flash Charging station, which has resulted in the network doubling within five months, and has intentions to establish 300 stations in the UK. The AFIR requires locations to have 600kW by 2027.