BYD is rolling out nine-minute-long flash charging, which it believes will smash the final barriers to mass EV adoption. The Chinese tech company plans to roll out 3,000 of the 1,500kW chargers across Europe in 2026, as it moves into infrastructure as well as the supply of EVs and hybrids, as well as premium cars with its new brand Denza.

 

Will this kill the petrol car, asked Kana Inagaki, the Financial Times’ autos correspondent at its Future of the Car summit in London? “I can not say kill, but [flash charging] can at least compete with the combustion engine,” said BYD’s executive vice president Stella Li with a twinkle in her eye.