Chinese carmaker BYD on Thursday launched the second-generation Blade Battery, capable of “disruptive” charging speeds in extremely cold environments.
The new Blade Battery can be charged from 20% to 97% in less than 12 minutes in temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius, enabling a driving range of 777 kilometres (483 miles), chairman Wang Chuanfu told an event from the company's headquarters in Shenzhen.
The launch of the new second-generation Blade Battery comes as BYD seeks to regain momentum in an increasingly competitive domestic market. BYD's recent BEV performance has outpaced Tesla, with 2025 sales figures of 2.26 million units against Tesla's 1.64 million. This means BYD sold over 600,000 more BEVs, driven by lower prices and strong exports, while Tesla saw sales decline. BYD is also ahead of other makers such as Volkswagen and Hyundai in China and several growing markets.
The batteries are also designed with higher energy density, enabling a driving range of more than 1,000 km for BYD's luxury Denza Z9GT and Yangwang U7 models, Wang said, adding the batteries had also passed safety tests exceeding China's new national standards.
BYD also aims to expand its "Flash Charging" network to 20,000 stations by the end of 2026, including 2,000 on highways. The company had built more than 4,000 stations as of March 5.
