BYD's 5-Minute EV Fast Charging: We Tried It. It's A Game-Changer
Ask someone who drives a gasoline-powered car why they wouldn't want to get an electric one, and you're almost certain to hear this answer: they take way too long to charge.
They're not even entirely wrong. Even though DC fast charging times are getting shorter and shorter for modern electric vehicles, they can seem totally unacceptable for anyone who's used to fueling a gas-powered car in a matter of minutes—and that still describes most people in this country.
To counter this, the Chinese carmaking giant BYD, which recently surpassed Tesla in EV sales, came up with an idea so ambitious that it almost sounds impossible. Engineers sought to cut EV fast-charging down to five minutes—roughly what it takes to fill up a gas-powered car.
I almost didn't believe it. So while I was in China for the Shanghai Auto Show, I knew I had to see it for myself.