The BYD Seagull at an auto show. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg News)
BYD Co. unveiled a new system for electric cars that the Chinese automaker says will allow them to charge almost as fast as it takes a regular car to refuel.
BYD’s Chairman and founder Wang Chuanfu said a new battery and charging system was capable of providing 292 miles of range in 5 minutes in tests on its new Han L model.
Being able to charge a car in the time it takes a combustion engine vehicle to pull in and out of a gas station could convince drivers who aren’t willing to make lengthy stops to go electric.
The new system, which will underpin many of its future electric vehicles, could provide another boost for BYD, which has come from behind to rival Tesla Inc. as the world’s top EV seller.
This is BYD “elevating the game to another dimension,” Lei Xing, an independent China autos analyst, said.
