BYD, a Chinese EV (electric vehicle) manufacturer, has announced a new battery and charging system it claims can top-up an EV almost as quickly as it takes to fill a traditional combustion engine car with gas.
The Super E Platform is capable of delivering charging speeds of up to 1 megawatt (1000kW), equivalent to 2km of range every second at peak speeds. A five minute charge can replenish up to 400km (around 250 miles) of range.
And it’s not just impressive charging speeds BYD is touting, as the new platform also comprises a 580kW motor capable of propelling an EV to over 300km/h (186 mph).
Wang Chuanfu, chairman and president of BYD Group, said (translated) “our goal is to make the charging time of electric vehicles as short as the refueling time of fuel vehicles” as the company looks to dispel consumer range anxiety.
Currently, Tesla’s Superchargers can replenish 200 miles of range in roughly 15 minutes, so if BYD’s claims ring true this could be a major milestone for the EV industry and could continue the surge in EV sales.
A platform and battery capable of megawatt charging is just part of the parcel. Drivers also require a charging station network capable of delivering the high rate of power, and for those in most of the world megawatt charging stations simply do not exist.
BYD says it plans to build over 4,000 “megawatt flash charging stations” across China in the future, but hasn’t given a timeline for when these will be completed. As for the rest of the world, we’ll have to wait and see if the technology is adopted by other manufacturers.
This isn’t just some future EV technology announcement, as BYD has also unveiled its first two electric cars which are built on the new Super E Platform – the Han L and Tang L.
For now, they’re only available in China, with pre-sales already open. The Han L sedan starts at 270,000 yuan (roughly $37,300), while the Tang L SUV starts at 280,000 yuan (roughly $38,700).
BYD says both vehicles will be officially launched in April, although it’s not confirmed when exactly they’ll be hitting Chinese roads.
Volkswagen’s newest EVs in China are making its American and European models look unusually conservative.
With Xpeng’s help, VW has introduced 800-volt charging and advanced urban driving assistance. The new VEGA technology package brings its locally developed vehicle platforms and CEA electronic architecture under one umbrella. Bloomberg reports that Volkswagen intends to update VEGA every three months. Western buyers can find pieces of that package, but not the whole thing in a Volkswagen.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?