The charging time for electric vehicles is reducing as technology improves. — AFP Relaxnews
The Chinese car manufacturer BYD has unveiled a new charging platform for electric vehicles, based on a unique 1000-volt architecture. This innovation promises a charging speed comparable to filling up with gas, delivering 400 km of range in just five minutes.
This 1000-volt architecture offers faster energy transfer while reducing energy loss, making existing fast-charging systems obsolete. With this technology, BYD expects to deliver 400 km of range in five minutes of charging. The idea is to be able to charge up an electric car as quickly – or almost as quickly – as refueling a combustion engine vehicle.
This new BYD architecture, with an intensity of 1,000 amps, would make it possible to reach 1,000 kW. The fastest charging networks currently available in France, such as Ionity, Fastned or Engie Vianeo, for example, deliver a maximum power of "just” 300 kW. And this is perfectly normal, as it is adapted to the current market. Until now, the electrical architecture of electric vehicles (EVs) has been based mainly on 400-volt systems, with a growing trend towards 800-volt architectures.
Currently, the only model on the market with a 1,000-volt architecture is the Tesla's Cybertruck pick-up. Moreover, Tesla will be the first to launch compatible charging stations outside of China. Its V4 Supercharger has been designed to be compatible with 1,000 V architectures, and the first stations of this generation are expected in the United States as early as this year.
BYD plans to build some 4,000 ultra-fast charging stations across China to develop this technology, in addition to the release of the first compatible models (the Han L sedan and the Tang L SUV). Chinese motorists will therefore be the first to benefit from this technology and this record charging speed.
BYD is reportedly already planning to release a 1,500 V platform for heavy vehicles. – AFP Relaxnews
