Beijing demos claim 10–97% charging in nine minutes

An electric vehicle battery is a chemical tank, and fast charging is the problem of pushing energy in without overheating or damaging it. BYD said at the Beijing auto show that its latest system can take a car from 10% to 97% in nine minutes. (byd.com) (abcnews.com) BYD brought the claim to Auto China 2026 in Beijing after first unveiling the second-generation Blade Battery and FLASH Charging on March 5 in Shenzhen. The company says the setup delivers up to 1,500 kilowatts through a single connector. (byd.com 1) (byd.com 2) At the show, BYD also demonstrated charging in a chamber set to minus 30 degrees Celsius. CGTN reported the vehicle went from 10% to 70% in five minutes and reached 97% in nine minutes total. (cgtn.com) (techxplore.com) Cold weather slows charging because lithium-ion batteries move ions less easily when the cells are freezing. BYD markets its answer as “Ready in 5, Full in 9, Cold Add 3,” meaning 20% to 97% in 12 minutes at minus 30 degrees Celsius. (byd.com 1) (byd.com 2) The charging claim depends on more than the battery. It also depends on a vehicle platform that can accept very high power and on chargers powerful enough to supply it. (byd.com) (techcrunch.com) BYD says it had already installed 4,239 FLASH Charging stations across China as of March 5 and wants 20,000 operating by the end of 2026. Electrek reported the company had 5,193 stations across 310 cities by early April. (byd.com) (electrek.co) The Beijing demo landed in the middle of a wider charging race among Chinese brands. Digital Trends, citing CarNewsChina test data, reported Geely’s Lynk & Co 10 went from 10% to 97% in 8 minutes and 42 seconds on paper. (digitaltrends.com) (insideevs.com) Independent road tests, battery aging data, and charger uptime figures are still limited. For now, the Beijing show gave BYD a public stage to argue that refueling-speed charging is moving from launch event slides to live demos. (techcrunch.com) (abcnews.com)