BYD rolls out EV batteries with 5-minute ‘flash charging.’ But there’s a catch.

Chinese automaker BYD has introduced the Blade Battery 2.0 system, capable of charging an electric vehicle from 10% to 70% in just five minutes, with a near-full charge taking about nine minutes total. This rapid charging performance extends to cold temperatures (–4˚F/–20˚C), where the battery can charge from 20% to 97% in under 12 minutes. The battery pack will debut in BYD’s Yangwang U7 luxury sedan but requires pairing with BYD’s proprietary Flash Charging EV chargers, which deliver up to 1.5 megawatts of power. BYD currently operates 4,200 Flash charging stations across China and plans to expand by 16,000 more by year-end, incorporating grid-scale batteries to ease grid demand. The Blade Battery 2.0 uses lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) chemistry, which is less energy-dense than nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) but significantly