BYD Just Outdid Tesla At Its Own Game

This is no longer just about EVs.

Photo by Michael Förtsch on Unsplash

By now, you know the routine. Musk, in his infinite wisdom, has micromanaged Tesla into non-existent innovation, while the socialist country actively funding EV innovation not only catches up but leapfrogs them. We are seeing this happen again and again. But I have never seen such a comprehensive takedown of Tesla as BYD. Not only are their cars beautifully built, they also overtook Tesla as the world’s largest EV maker and outsold Tesla across all of Europe this April. In terms of sales, BYD has already smashed Tesla. But now, they are aiming for the jugular and want to beat Tesla at their own game.

What made Tesla such a huge sales hit before things hit the fascist fan? Range, charging speed and charging network. Tesla cars charge at a peak of 250 kW, although they are very “peaky”, so that number is somewhat misleading (as always with Musk), with their average charge rate from 10% to 80% actually sitting at around 120 kW. The vast majority of Tesla Superchargers deliver a maximum of 250 kW, with a few able to deliver 350 kW (excluding the semi-exclusive chargers). But there are over 1,100 of these superchargers installed in Europe and over 1,400 in the UK. This, combined with the fact that most Teslas have more than 300 miles of range, makes long-range trips far easier than in most other EVs.

This was the feather in Tesla’s cap that helped them sell millions of EVs. And BYD just took a huge steam turd on it with their Super e-Platform and 1,000 kW “flash chargers”.

I have discussed these technological leaps before, but to recap, the Super e-Platform is BYD’s new EV platform, which is being introduced for the first time in the Han L model. This platform uses an 83.2 kWh LFP Blade Battery, giving the Han L a WLTP range of roughly 348 miles. All pretty normal, right? Well, this battery doesn’t use the normal 400-volt architecture; no, it uses 1,000 volts, giving it a peak charge rate of 1,000 kW! And, unlike the Tesla, this isn’t “peaky”, with an average charge rate between 10% and 80% of 600 kW.

Just to be clear, BYD didn’t have to do this. They have been able to outsell Tesla in both of those markets with slower charging cars that don’t have access to Tesla’s network. That in and of itself is pretty damn impressive and shows how attitudes towards EV ownership have significantly changed. That means 1.2 miles of charge every second and up to 249 miles’ worth of charge in just five minutes of charging. It also means a 10% to 80% charge doesn’t take 25 minutes like the Tesla — it takes just seven minutes!