'Light years ahead of the rest of the world': China shows off the future of
EV batteries at the Beijing Auto Show as CATL and BYD race to cut charging times down to just five minutes

Date:
Sat, 02 May 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Description:
The Beijing Auto Show played host to numerous rapid-charging demos, as China looks to cut EV charging time to a minimum

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter BYD and CATL are embroiled in a race tocut charging times Fast-charging dominated this years Beijing Auto
Show Charge times as little as 6.5 minutes are currently being touted This years Beijing Auto Show proved the perfect opportunity for China to flex its automotive muscle, with 17 exhibition halls housing more than 1,500 vehicles and advances in the technology that powers them.

In fact, in the two years since the Beijing Auto Show was last held (it alternates with Shanghai), a brand new convention center was built next to
the existing exhibition hall a fitting visual metaphor to Chinas rapidily expanding auto industry. With new cars comes new technology and the event
also served as the perfect place to showcase the latest battery and charging technology, with a number of companies vying to drastically reduce EV charge times to under 10 minutes. Article continues below You may like This new EV battery is promising incredible six-minute charging speeds Megawatt charging is go BYD's new 1,500kW EV network has gas station speeds BYD says its Blade Battery 2.0 can deliver over 600 miles on a single charge

Right now, in the Western world, youre lucky if you can complete a 10-80% charge in 30 minutes or less, but CATL recently showcased its Shenxing 3 EB battery pack that it said can hit 10 to 98 percent in 6.5 minutes.

BYD also has battery technology that can charge from 10 to 97% in just nine minutes, while even second-tier Chinese battery suppliers, including CALB Group, EVE Energy and Sunwoda, all unveiled products capable of boosting
power from 10 to 70 per cent in under 10 minutes, according to the South
China Morning Post . Analysis: Everything electric to get a boost (Image credit: Nio) It wasn't just four-wheeled EVs that were given a charging boost at the Beijing Auto Show. Sunwoda also wants to apply its know-how to eBikes, showcasing a battery that charges from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in 20 minutes and lasts for at least 2,000 cycles, according to its maker.

This would effectively allow eBike owners to complete even long commutes and then charge up at coffee stops, rather waiting the several hours it typically takes today. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me
with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

The time needed to replenish energy is perhaps the final frontier where electric vehicles have yet to fully surpass petrol cars in China, Li Xianyang (a battery specialist at Sunwoda) told the South China Morning Post. So everyone has to compete on time.

Whichever way you cut it, China appears to be light-years ahead of the rest
of the world when it comes to offering innovative and rapid EV charging solutions.

Alongside its game-changing megawatt charging outlets, it is also a purveyor of battery swap tech, with domestic carmaker Nio proving that a full swap takes three minute with a live demo at the Beijing Auto Show. Follow
TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course, you can also follow TechRadar on YouTube and TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/vehicle-tech/hybrid-electric-vehicles/light-years-ah ead-of-the-rest-of-the-world-china-shows-off-the-future-of-ev-batteries-at-the -beijing-auto-show-as-catl-and-byd-race-to-cut-charging-times-down-to-just-fiv e-minutes


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)