BYD charging breakthrough is another sign of China's EV lead
Why it matters: Making EV charging as painless as visiting a gas station is one less hurdle for consumers, and could help spur widespread EV adoption.
It's also a further sign of the growing dominance of BYD, which sells both electric vehicles and hybrids, while onetime EV leader Tesla's fortunes wane, both in China and the rest of the world.
Driving the news: BYD's new battery and charging system can provide nearly 300 miles of driving range in 5 minutes, chairman and founder Wang Chuanfu said Monday, Bloomberg reported.
The 1,000-Volt Super e-Platform will underpin BYD's next-generation vehicles, starting with the Han L sedan and Tang L SUV.
BYD also said it would build more than 4,000 ultra-fast chargers across China to match the new EV platform.
Between the lines: The charging breakthrough, while promising, is light on specifics.
It's not clear what type of battery chemistry is used to achieve such results.
Also unknown is the battery size, or maximum sustained power levels during charging.
The big picture: What is clear, however, is that Chinese manufacturers are outpacing the U.S. and European Union on EV charging technology.
"Tesla has definitely moved from leader to laggard in EV battery and charging technology at this point." said Matt Teske, founder and CEO of Chargeway, a startup aiming to simplify EV charging.
Tesla's latest "V4" Superchargers offer 325kW power — a step in the right direction, Teske said — but Tesla vehicles need 800V battery tech in order to take full advantage of those faster chargers.
Currently, Tesla's vehicles have a 400V system, which limits how fast they can accept electrons, no matter how fast the charging equipment.
Competitors including Hyundai, Kia and Porsche have more advanced 800V systems, the fastest-available before BYD's 1,000V breakthrough.
The bottom line: Convenient, fast EV charging requires higher-voltage battery technology mated with chargers capable of sustained power delivery at maximum speeds.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
29 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Beijing's first World Humanoid Robot Games opens with hip-hop, martial arts and music
BEIJING — Humanoid robots hip-hop danced, performed martial arts and played keyboard, guitar and drums at the opening ceremony of the first World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing on Thursday evening. The competition begins Friday with more than 500 humanoid robots in 280 teams from 16 countries, including the U.S., Germany and Japan, competing in sports including soccer, running and boxing. It comes as China has stepped up efforts to develop humanoid robots powered by artificial intelligence. During the opening ceremony, the robots demonstrated soccer and boxing among other sports, with some cheering and backflipping as if at a real sports day. One robot soccer player scored a goal after a few tries, causing the goalkeeper to fall to the ground. Another player fell but stood up unassisted. The robots also modeled fashionable hats and clothes alongside human models. One robot model sadly fell and had to be carried off the stage by two human beings. Teams from robot companies and Chinese universities including Tsinghua University and Peking University are competing in the games. Three middle schools are also participating. China's official newspaper People's Daily quoted a government officer in Beijing as saying 'every robot participates is creating history.' The event will last three days, concluding on Sunday. Tickets sold to the public range from 180 yuan ($25) to 580 ($80). Ting writes for the Associated Press. Olivia Zhang contributed to this report from Beijing.
TechCrunch
29 minutes ago
- TechCrunch
Lovable projects $1B in ARR within next 12 months
In Brief Vibe coding startup Lovable aims to hit $1 billion in annual recurring revenue within the next 12 months, according to its CEO, Anton Osika. Speaking on Bloomberg TV on Thursday, Osika said the company grows by at least $8 million in ARR each month. In a blog post written this summer, the company said it passed $100 million in ARR just eight months after making its first $1 million. Osika told Bloomberg Thursday the company is projecting to reach $250 million in ARR by the end of this year, and it hopes to reach $1 billion within the next 12 months. Founded in 2023, the company has become one of Europe's AI darlings. It hit a $1.8 billion valuation this summer, raising a $200 million Series A. This article was updated to reflect the spelling of the company's name.
30 minutes ago
Beijing's first World Humanoid Robot Games opens with street dance, martial arts and music
BEIJING -- Humanoid robots hip-hop danced, performed martial arts and played keyboard, guitar and drums at the opening ceremony of the first World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing on Thursday evening. The competition begins Friday with more than 500 humanoid robots in 280 teams from 16 countries, including the U.S., Germany and Japan, competing in sports including soccer, running and boxing. It comes as China has stepped up efforts to develop humanoid robots powered by artificial intelligence. During the opening ceremony, the robots demonstrated soccer and boxing among other sports, with some cheering and backflipping as if at a real sports day. One robot soccer player scored a goal after a few tries, causing the goalkeeper to fall to the ground. Another player fell but stood up unassisted. The robots also modeled fashionable hats and clothes alongside human models. One robot model sadly fell and had to be carried off the stage by two human beings. Teams from robot companies and Chinese universities including Tsinghua University and Peking University are competing in the games. Three middle schools are also participating. China's official newspaper People's Daily quoted a government officer in Beijing as saying 'every robot participates is creating history.' The event will last three days, concluding on Sunday. Tickets sold to the public range from 180 yuan ($25) to 580 ($80). ___ Fu Ting reported from Washington.
