BYD has revealed its Super e-Platform, a new electric car architecture centred on the latest evolution of its lithium-iron-phosphate Blade battery, capable of charging at up to 1000kW.
Showcased in the updated Han L saloon and Tang L SUV set for delivery in China later this year, the platform also supports a new generation of high-revving electric motors as part of a performance drivetrain developing up to 1084bhp in dual-motor guise.
The Super e-Platform’s newly developed battery is described as a ‘flash-charge’ battery. Although BYD has yet to reveal its capacity and weight, the company claims it has achieved a 10C charging multiplier, allowing a theoretical full charge in just six minutes. With a charging voltage of up to 1000V and a maximum current of 1000A, the system can sustain 1MW (megawatt) charging power – far greater than the fastest-charging EVs currently on sale.
In tests, the new battery maintained high levels of charging power throughout the charging process, achieving up to 600kW even at a 90% state of charge. To support this capability, BYD has developed a new 1000kW supercharger, which it says allows the updated Han L and Tang L to add up to 249 miles of range in five minutes under optimal conditions. This is double the 500kW peak power of Tesla’s latest V4 Supercharger.
To facilitate the introduction of its new battery technology, BYD plans to construct more than 4000 supercharging stations across China.
Beyond charging advancements, the Super e-Platform also introduces a new in-house-developed electric motor, which BYD claims operates at up to 30,511rpm – the highest of any mass-produced electric motor to date, and the first to exceed 30,000rpm in large-scale production.
With a peak output of 778bhp, the motor has a power density of 22bhp per kg. It operates in combination with a smaller front electric motor developing 308bhp, providing four-wheel-drive Han L and Tang L models with a combined 1084bhp – sufficient, says BYD, for respective 0-62mph times of 2.7sec and 3.6sec, and top speeds of 190mph and 178mph. Rear-wheel-rive, single-motor variants develop 671bhp.