BYD's New $30,000 EV Charges in 5 Minutes

BYD’s latest models featuring the groundbreaking charging technology cost much less than the cheapest Tesla.

The BYD Han L | BYD

BYD has launched the first electric cars to feature its five-minute charging battery, just weeks after unveiling the groundbreaking technology. The Chinese automaker said the latest Han L and Tang L models will come equipped with the Super E-Platform system that delivers almost 250 miles of range from just five minutes of charging - that's four times quicker than the rates of Tesla superchargers.

With ultra-fast charging, the electric sedan can gain 400 km (248 miles) in just five minutes. In six minutes, it can recharge from 10 percent to 70 percent, and in just 20 minutes, it can fully recharge an empty battery, reports Electrek.

If that's not enough to make Tesla owners (or potential owners) take note, the base Han L sedan also costs $10,000 less than the cheapest Tesla Model 3, at $30,100.

When the Super E-Platform charging technology was first unveiled last month, BYD said it would “completely solve users’ range anxiety when travelling”, as it allows users to charge their vehicle in roughly the same amount of time as it takes to fill up a fuel tank.

Both models are currently only available in China, along with the first 4,000 flash charging stations that will be deployed, says The Independent.

BYD is currently building a factory in Hungary to meet European demand, which is set to start producing cars later this year with a capacity of up to 300,000 vehicles per year.