China’s BYD For The Top Includes New EV Batteries That Recharge In Five Minutes

Tesla may have created the modern electric vehicle (EV) market, but China’s BYD is leaving Elon Musk’s company behind in the dust these days. Tariff walls in North America and Europe may be the only protection to keep Tesla from becoming an EV also ran. Four issues have always inhibited consumers from buying Tesla and other EV manufacturers’ vehicles. They are price, range, charge rate, and charging network.

Price – In terms of price anxiety, BYD currently manufactures eight different brand models as well as EVs for three other companies. The Dolphin hatchback comes in as low as $30,000 US. The Seal and Tang are almost double in price and are considered high-end luxury EVs. The Sealion EV which BYD builds to meet South Asian and Indian markets is priced lower than the Dolphin.

Compare BYD pricing to Tesla and the latter isn’t competitive. A Tesla Model 3 has a starting price of $40,000; the Y models begin at $46,000; the S models at $85,000; the X models at $95,000; and Cybertrucks at between $50,000 and $82,000.

Range – In terms of driving range BYD and Tesla produce comparable data with the latter’s extended-range models producing better performance than any BYD EV. Both manufacturers can deliver an EV capable of travelling 400 kilometres (approximately 250 miles) per charge.

Charge Rate – The latest battery from BYD, the Super-E, has a 1,000 Kilowatt (kW) charging speed compared to Tesla’s Supercharger at 500 kW. Two of BYD’s higher-priced EV models, the Han L and Tang L, priced at around $37,000 will feature the new battery.

BYD calls its Super-E a flash charge battery capable of giving its EV models enough power when plugged in for 5 minutes to achieve a drive range of 400 kilometres. Five minutes is about the same amount of time it can take to gas up an internal combustion engine-powered car.

Charge Network – Older BYD models use publicly accessible charging stations that meet the Combined Charging System (CCS) standard which is readily available in and outside China. For the Super-E Han and Tang models, BYD plans to install 4,000 new charge stations in China representing a significant expansion of its existing network and likely putting some strain on the country’s power grid. Considering the company’s rate of growth in terms of the number of models built and shipped, BYD needs to grow its charging infrastructure beyond China quickly.

Currently, several BYD models sold in Australia are using the Tesla charging network. In some cases, a hardware upgrade is needed, but BYD EV owners can use the Tesla app to setup an account and pay the per kW charge and monthly subscription.

For Europe and North America not including Mexico, the Super-E-powered EV models need BYD to create the charging station network. BYD already has started deploying chargers in Mexico where its EV models are sold.

In terms of a charge station network, Tesla is well ahead of BYD representing the former’s biggest advantage. Tesla has a charge infrastructure featuring 7,000 Supercharger sites featuring 65,800 individual connectors. The question is, how much longer will Tesla continue to have this one advantage.

A Horse Race – In 2024, EV sales from BYD and Tesla were neck and neck with Tesla at 1.789 million versus BYD at 1.76 million vehicles. BYD also makes plug-in hybrid vehicles and in 2024 the total new energy vehicle numbers shipped reached 4.27 million.

Technology Comparisons – Engineers looking at the two EV leaders’ technologies side by side believe that BYD will outperform Tesla going forward. They describe BYD’s approach as effective, safer, and cheaper. In one review it states, “BYD has taken the crown, efficiency proves more useful than costly innovations. Perhaps this ‘wake-up call’ to Tesla will help it rethink its philosophy.” But for now, Tesla in battery technology and materials trails the Chinese EV manufacturer and the gap is widening and is not helped by Elon Musk’s negatively impacting his brand by association with the Donald Trump presidency.