The new energy vehicle energy replenishment sector is experiencing dual breakthroughs in technology and infrastructure networks at the start of 2026. Companies like BYD and Geely have successively launched new-generation batteries, reducing energy replenishment times to the minute level. Meanwhile, Nio and CATL continue to expand their battery swap networks. The industry is gradually narrowing the experience gap with traditional fuel vehicles through technological advancements. Fast charging and battery swapping are no longer competing strategies but are instead core solutions jointly addressing range anxiety and reshaping industry competition rules.
On March 5, BYD unveiled its second-generation Blade Battery alongside supporting flash charging technology. "Making charging as fast as refueling" was how BYD Chairman and President Wang Chuanfu defined the technical goal during the launch event. He directly addressed key pain points in current electric mobility: long charging queues during holidays and slow charging in low temperatures. "To solve these persistent issues, we must tackle the root cause. The source of all problems is slow charging and difficulty charging in cold conditions," he stated.
Under normal temperatures, mass-produced models equipped with BYD's second-generation Blade Battery can charge from 10% to 70% in five minutes, and from 10% to 97% in nine minutes. At -30 degrees Celsius, charging from 20% to 97% takes only three minutes longer than under normal conditions. Furthermore, the energy density of the second-generation Blade Battery has increased by over 5% compared to the first generation. The Denza Z9GT, the first model to feature this battery, achieves a CLTC range of 1,036 kilometers.
The industry responded swiftly. Just seven days later, on March 13, Geely released its Shen Dun Gold Brick Battery hybrid series, claiming it to be the "fastest-charging hybrid battery," with the fastest model replenishing energy from 10% to 80% in just ten minutes. The Geely Galaxy M7, the first vehicle to utilize this battery, offers a pure electric range of 225 km and a combined range of 1,730 km when fully fueled and charged.
In the battery swap sector, Nio has invested over 18 billion yuan in the past eight years, establishing more than 3,800 battery swap stations. Its core user proposition is a "3-minute battery swap, faster than refueling, completely eliminating range anxiety." Additionally, CATL's Chocolate Battery Swap Stations highlight "extremely fast energy replenishment, 99 seconds to a full charge" as a key feature and are gradually being implemented in passenger vehicles. Recently, GAC Aion and Arcfox announced plans to collaborate with CATL to launch new vehicle models compatible with battery swapping.
Regarding the dynamic between charging and swapping, Nio Founder and CEO Li Bin has stated publicly that the two modes are not mutually exclusive; they address different energy replenishment scenarios. Battery swapping can resolve issues that charging struggles with, such as differing battery and vehicle lifespans, energy efficiency, and operational safety. Li Yunfei, General Manager of BYD's Brand and Public Relations Department, also believes that battery swapping and flash charging share the same ultimate goal: to address the pain point of slow charging for EV owners and further encourage the transition from fuel to electric vehicles.
Coinciding with the announcement of its second-generation Blade Battery, BYD also introduced a flash charging pile with a single-gun peak power of 1,500 kW, currently the highest-power mass-produced charging equipment globally. Strategically, BYD plans to build 20,000 flash charging stations across China by the end of 2026. To accelerate deployment, BYD is adopting a "station-within-a-station" model for rapid expansion and cost-sharing, partnering with national charging network operators. It aims to establish 18,000 cooperative flash charging stations by year-end, creating a 3-kilometer energy replenishment network in first and second-tier cities. For highway coverage, flash charging stations will be installed in nearly one-third of all highway service areas, with an average spacing of about 100 kilometers. The first batch of 1,000 stations is scheduled for completion before the May Day holiday this year.
In terms of ecosystem development, BYD recently partnered with JD.com to upgrade single-function charging stations into integrated service hubs for "people, vehicles, and energy replenishment." The collaboration will involve multi-level business cooperation in areas such as site selection for flash charging stations, charging benefits, and vehicle ecosystems. Separately, Li Auto announced plans to deploy 4,800 supercharging stations throughout 2026, achieving a 3-kilometer charging radius in key urban areas. XPeng's strategic target for 2026 is to build 10,000 self-operated charging stations, 4,500 of which will be liquid-cooled super-fast chargers.
Clearly, merely increasing the number of charging stations is not a fundamental solution. While accelerating deployment, several automakers are shifting their technological focus to ultra-fast charging. Systems like Li Auto's and XPeng's 5C and above ultra-fast charging platforms aim primarily to increase the charging rate. For instance, XPeng's liquid-cooled S5 ultra-fast charging pile boasts a peak charging power of up to 800 kW, capable of adding over one kilometer of range per second.
According to their plans, CATL targets building 3,000 battery swap stations by 2026, while Nio aims for 4,600, focusing on highway networks, key cities, and areas with high concentrations of commercial vehicles. Concurrently, Nio will begin large-scale construction of its fifth-generation swap stations, and users of its Firefly brand will also be integrated into the battery swap service system.
Pan Helin, an economist and member of the Expert Committee on Information and Communication Economy at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, pointed out that the focus of competition in the latter half of the energy replenishment sector will be on improving battery stability and capacity, such as through the development of solid-state batteries, and achieving further breakthroughs in the performance of the three core electric vehicle systems. He noted that, due to the limited number of participants in battery swapping currently, the market is likely to maintain a long-term pattern dominated by fast charging, supplemented by battery swapping, with both systems operating in parallel.
As the energy replenishment experience for new energy vehicles approaches that of fuel vehicles, a fundamental shift in the balance between oil and electricity is anticipated.
