Europe sees ultra-fast EV charging breakthroughs by BYD and MAN

BYD showcased its Flash Charging system at a demonstration in Madrid, charging its Denza Z9 GT electric sedan from 10% to 70% in five minutes and from 10% to 100% in 8 minutes 51 seconds. The vehicle uses a 122 kWh Blade Battery 2.0, offering over 600 km of range, and the charger can deliver up to 1 500 kW. BYD plans to install 3 000 Flash Charging stations across Europe by 2027, including 300 in Spain and 50 in Portugal, with free charging for 18 months for Denza customers and electricity priced below €0.50 per kWh.

MAN presented its NEFTON 3000 prototype, a high‑power charging system capable of delivering a stable 3 000 A current (up to 3 MW). In laboratory tests at the Technical University of Munich and Fraunhofer ISE in Freiburg, the system recharged a heavy‑duty electric truck enough to travel 400 km in about ten minutes. The project required redesign of cables, connectors and cooling systems to handle the extreme power, and further battery development is needed before the technology can be deployed commercially.