BYD Super e-Platform opens era of ‘fuel and electricity at the same speed’ with Megawatt flash charging

BYD, the world’s leading manufacturer of new-energy vehicles, has unveiled a revolutionary new electric-vehicle platform that promises to end charging anxiety by matching the refuelling speeds of combustion-engined vehicles. Called Super e-Platform, the new architecture introduces a number of groundbreaking technologies that set world records in the mass-produced electric vehicle ecosystem.

The Super e-Platform’s core electric components – motor, electronic control and battery – have all been comprehensively upgraded compared with existing configurations. The platform achieves a charging power of one megawatt (1,000kW), the highest peak charging speed for mass-production vehicles. In practical terms, this means that Super e-Platform can add two kilometres of range per second, and the world’s fastest mass-production charging speed: a five-minute flash charge for 400 kilometres of driving range.

The architecture features a single power-motor output of 580kW, delivering a top speed in its two initial models, the China-market HAN L and TANG L, of more than 300 km/h. This high top speed and rapid acceleration are achieved through a new motor that’s capable of running at up to 30,000rpm – another new mass-production benchmark.

At the launch event in Shenzhen, Wang Chuanfu, Chairman and President of BYD Group, said the new technology would help to wipe out the biggest remaining ‘pain point’ for electric-vehicle users. He commented: “To completely eliminate users’ charging anxiety, our goal is to make EV charging as fast as refuelling a gasoline car – achieving ‘oil-electric parity’ in charging speed.”

For this parity to be realised, charging needs to combine both ultra-high voltage and high current. Super e-Platform is the world’s first mass-produced passenger car platform to feature an “all-domain kilovolt high-voltage architecture”, while enables kilovolt-level capacity across the battery, motor, power supply and air conditioning.

The Super e-Platform also introduces BYD’s ‘Flash Charging Battery’, which features an ultra-fast ion channel from the battery’s anode to cathode for a maximum charging current of 1,000A and a maximum charging rate of 10C – both mass-production benchmarks.

To support these rates, BYD has developed and mass-produced a new generation of automotive-grade silicon carbide (SiC) power chip with a voltage rating of up to 1,500V – the industry’s first mass-produced SiC power chip, with the highest voltage rating to date.

Megawatt charging needs megawatt chargers
The new ultra-rapid charging technology requires advanced charging stations to operate at its full capacity. So BYD Executive Vice President and President of Auto Engineering Research Institute Lian Yubo announced at the same launch event that BYD has developed an industry-first, full liquid-cooled megawatt flash-charging terminal system that can deliver a maximum output of 1,360kW.

Looking ahead, BYD plans to build over 4,000 megawatt flash-charging stations across China. But in addition to its own stations, BYD has also developed innovative “dual-gun charging” technology that can instantly upgrade fast chargers to ultra-fast chargers and superchargers to flash chargers. This “intelligent boost” technology, another world first, ensures compatibility with public charging stations, enabling convenient charging in a huge variety of locations.

BYD believes that this interaction with existing infrastructure, combined with the self-developed flash charging terminals and the ground-breaking Super e-Platform itself, redefines electric mobility, reinforcing China’s leadership in global electrification technology.