The breakthrough combines BYD’s latest version of its Blade battery with a new high-power charging platform. Under ideal conditions, the system can deliver about 70% charge in roughly five minutes. That kind of speed requires extremely powerful infrastructure: BYD says its system relies on ultra-fast flash charging stations capable of delivering up to 1,500 kilowatts of power – several times higher than most fast chargers currently on the market. 

Range is also part of the pitch. Vehicles equipped with the battery could achieve driving ranges of up to around 1,000 kilometres. That combination – long range and ultra-fast charging – is designed to directly target what’s known as range anxiety – the low-level fear among EV drivers that their vehicles may run out of juice far from a charging station. 

The thing is technology alone won’t solve the problem. BYD says it plans to build around 20,000 of these flash-charging stations across China, including roughly 2,000 along major highways, to support the system. These flash charging stations will need to be rolled out before range anxiety can truly be soothed. 

BYD nine-minute EV battery charging tech: the bigger picture

The move comes at an opportune time: China’s EV market has entered a new phase of competition with price wars squeezing margins across the industry, and regulation coming in to prevent further price slashing. This has pushed automakers to compete increasingly on tech. 

It looks like BYD has drawn its ranks on the battlefield of faster charging. If drivers can recharge an EV in the time it takes to nip into the petrol station to buy a coffee, the ever-lingering psychological barrier separating EVs from petrol vehicles starts to seem like less of a gulf. 

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The E5 Sportback came off production lines in Anting, China, in mid-August with the first deliveries hitting showrooms and roads throughout September. To bring the product to market, Audi teamed up with Chinese motor company SAIC, the country’s largest auto group.

The E5, the first in a range of cars set to be released over the next two years, blends Chinese technology and German engineering. But it’s their new marketing strategies that are piquing interest. And no, this time they’re not trying to crack the designer clothing world.

First off, it’s an AUDI, not an Audi… The company has chosen to drop the famous four-rings logo – long a symbol of automobile luxury –  for the Chinese market. Instead, they’re opting for the brand name spelt out in all block capitals.

They’re also cutting profit margins to bring the vehicle to market at a very competitive price point. An AUDI E5 Sportback will set you back RMB 235,900 to RMB 319,900 (about USD 33,000 – USD 45,000) depending on the model. Competing EVs like the Stelato S9T and the Nio ET5T go for RMB 328,000 and RMB 298,000 respectively.

All this is likely a move to attract a younger, more tech-savvy customer base rather than try to outcompete in an already tough-to-crack Chinese luxury car market. The pace of development in China’s EV market also creates more room for new competition.

And the E5 is aiming to compete. AUDI and SAIC have developed the car on an Advanced Digitized Platform. This system enables faster charging, over-the-air updates and China-market-tailoring in sensors that detect scooter-riding delivery drivers.

With all this comes the hope that the E5 will lead the pack in the world of smart, interconnected vehicles.

CEO of the Audi-SAIC cooperation, Fermín Soneira, said “Every vehicle from the AUDI brand embodies the best of both worlds: iconic design, premium quality, technical precision, emotional driving dynamics, combined with China’s cutting-edge technology, innovation and digital ecosystem.”

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