By Jiahui Huang
Chinese automaker BYD on Thursday released a new electric-vehicle battery that can be fully charged in nine minutes, an effort to address slowing demand and falling market share in the world's largest auto market.
BYD, the world's biggest maker of electric vehicles, said that with the new battery and new charging stations, users could charge their EV batteries to 97% of capacity from 10% in nine minutes. The battery can get to 70% of capacity from 10% in five minutes. It represents the second generation of what BYD calls its blade battery, a lighter product that has a blade-like shape and takes up less space than other batteries.
At a launch event Thursday, BYD Chief Executive Wang Chuanfu said it normally took around 30 to 60 minutes to charge an EV from 10% to 97% in China. By contrast, he said, the new BYD battery could charge in less than 12 minutes from 20% to 97% even in extreme cold when the temperature was minus 30 degrees Celsius.
The company also released a new 1,500-kilowatt charging station that it calls a flash charging station. BYD said it aimed to build up to 20,000 charging stations by the end of this year, including 2,000 units on expressways. The company has already built 4,239 stations in China and will build 1,000 charging stations on expressways by May 1, a holiday in China, Wang said.
"Building a new flash charging station is as easy as installing an air conditioner at your home," Wang said. He said customers who buy a new BYD equipped with the latest battery would enjoy one year of free flash-charging service.
Some of BYD's mid-range and high-end flagship models will be equipped with the new battery. Among them, the newly released Denza Z9 GT can drive up to about 640 miles on a single charge, the longest range for cars with the battery.
BYD is trying to bounce back in China this year after its market share in its home market fell last year. The troubles continued in February, when BYD sold 190,190 vehicles globally, down 41% from a year earlier. That included 79,539 fully electric cars, a 36% decline from the previous year.
China's EV industry is suffering from expiring government subsidies, a slowing economy and fierce competition. In January, China's EV and plug-in hybrid sales fell for the first time in almost two years, dropping 20% compared with a year earlier to 596,000 units, according to the China Passenger Car Association.
BYD's prospects are brighter overseas. It has been expanding market share in Europe and elsewhere. The automaker has also said it will begin installing hundreds of flash charging stations in Europe this year.
A year ago at a similar showcase event, BYD touted its advanced driver-assistance technology. This year, it focused on batteries, which may be more important to core customers, who want high performance at a reasonable price, analysts said.
Write to Jiahui Huang at jiahui.huang@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 05, 2026 09:55 ET (14:55 GMT)
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