BYD admits battery shortage; 20.98 GWh April

BYD chairman Wang Chuanfu said on May 15 that the Chinese automaker’s battery production capacity was “tight” as several new vehicle lines entered a production ramp, adding a public acknowledgment to concerns that demand for its latest flash-charge electric vehicles is outrunning supply. CarNewsChina, citing remarks at the 2026 Yangwang Business Research Institute conference, reported the comments on May 16. The report said BYD shipped 20.98 gigawatt-hours of batteries in April, taking year-to-date shipments to 81.2 gigawatt-hours. It also said the supply debate has been accompanied by scrutiny in China over battery temperatures during ultra-fast charging tests. ### What exactly did Wang Chuanfu say about the shortage? Wang Chuanfu said BYD’s battery production capacity “remains tight” as models across its Dynasty, Ocean, Denza and Yangwang brands move through a growth phase, according to CarNewsChina’s account of his May 15 remarks. The report said Wang also told attendees monthly sales should continue to rise as additional battery output comes online. (carnewschina.com) The May 15 comments matter because they amount to a direct admission from BYD’s chairman and president that battery supply is constraining output at a time when the company is expanding the use of its newest battery and charging system. CarNewsChina attributed the remarks to IThome and said the company did not disclose a model-by-model breakdown of battery allocation. (carnewschina.com) ### Which vehicles are putting pressure on battery output? Recent launches include Denza B5 and B8 flash-charge editions and an upcoming Atto 3, also known in China as the Yuan Plus, with flash charging and a 240-kilowatt rear motor, CarNewsChina reported. The outlet said industry sources in China have linked the capacity strain to strong demand for newer BYD models using second-generation Blade Battery packs and ultra-fast charging systems. (carnewschina.com) BYD said on March 5 that its second-generation Blade Battery can take a vehicle from 10% to 70% state of charge in five minutes and to 97% in nine minutes, while a related company statement said the charging system can deliver up to 1,500 kilowatts through a single connector. BYD also said the battery was designed with a “Full-Spectrum Intelligent Thermal Management System” and had passed safety tests beyond China’s national standards. (carnewschina.com) ### How big is the battery output in question? BYD shipped 20.98 gigawatt-hours of batteries in April 2026 and 81.2 gigawatt-hours in the first four months of the year, according to CarNewsChina. The report said the company did not specify how much of April’s total went to electric-vehicle installations in the Chinese market. (byd.com) Reuters reported on April 24 that BYD was broadening the rollout of flash-charging models as it sought to win over drivers concerned about range and charging times. Stella Li, BYD’s executive vice president, told Reuters on the sidelines of the Beijing auto show that “flash charging is so important for BYD because this solves the last barrier for EV adoption.” (carnewschina.com) ### What is the issue with the 76C battery temperature claim? CarNewsChina said an online debate in China intensified after a livestream test recorded battery surface temperatures above 76 degrees Celsius during high-rate charging sessions. The report did not say BYD had publicly responded to that specific test, and the available source material does not establish pack-internal temperature or whether the conditions matched BYD’s own demonstration setup. (money.usnews.com) BYD’s March technology announcement said the company had engineered the second-generation Blade Battery to reduce internal heat generation and improve heat dissipation. The company said those measures were part of its thermal-management and safety design for ultra-fast charging. ### How fast is BYD building out the charging network around this technology? (carnewschina.com) BYD said in March it planned to build 20,000 flash-charging stations across China and begin a global rollout at scale by the end of 2026. Reuters separately reported on April 24 that BYD planned about 20,000 flash-charging stations in China and 6,000 overseas over the following 12 months. (byd.com) CarNewsChina reported that BYD added 55 flash-charging stations between May 7 and May 14, bringing the network to 5,979 stations in 312 Chinese cities. The same report said BYD’s flash-charging app had exceeded 1 million users and that cumulative charging volume had surpassed 21 million kilowatt-hours as of May 6. (byd.com) BYD’s next disclosed milestone is the end of 2026 target for 20,000 flash-charging stations in China, while additional battery output is expected to come online as the company ramps Dynasty, Ocean, Denza and Yangwang models, according to BYD and Wang’s May 15 remarks. (carnewschina.com)