Chinese EV’s huge move shades Tesla

Chinese EV giant BYD has fired fresh shots in its war with Tesla, promising to do something that the Elon Musk’s company hasn’t even got close to.

Chinese EV giant BYD has fired fresh shots in its war with Tesla, promising to double the American giant’s charging speeds to deliver the world’s fastest electric car chargers.

BYD says its new rapid-charging system, the “Super e-Platform”, combines high-voltage hardware in next-gen models with charging points capable of delivering 1000kW of energy – roughly 10 times what entry-level EVs can manage today.

MORE: Tesla insiders reveal problem

BYD has promised to introduce rapid charging speeds for new models. Picture: Supplied

It means customers will be able to recharge cars in just five minutes.

Wang Chuanfu, chair and chief executive of the BYD Group, said “flash charging” has the potential to end range anxiety.

“The ultimate solution is to make charging as quick as refuelling a gasoline car,” he said.

MORE: Level of anti-tesla violence ‘insane’

BYD's Denza N9 SUC. Picture: Supplied

The company also plans to roll out a new electric motor with 580kW of power that can propel sports cars at speeds up to 300km/h.

Charging as Fast as Refueling. 400 km in Just 5 Minutes.

Introducing BYD Super e-Platform. The world’s first mass-produced full-domain 1,000V high-voltage architecture.

âš¡ Megawatt Flash Charging delivers 2 km of range per second
⚡ 1,000 kW (1 MW) power enables 400 km in… pic.twitter.com/5s1OW9c6eU

— BYD (@BYDCompany) March 18, 2025

The ultra-powerful motor will feature in high-end Denza models set to take on the likes of Audi, BMW and Porsche in coming months.

BYD’s announcement helped push its share price – and market capitalisation – above Tesla.

The Chinese giant’s share price has increased by about 45 per cent this year, while Tesla’s has dropped by the same amount.

MORE: New Chinese ute enters Aussie market

Tesla and BYD share prices have taken vastly different trajectories. Picture: Google

BYD sold 3281 cars locally in February, more than double the number of cars it shifted in the same period last year.

Tesla, by comparison, dropped from 5665 sales in February 2024 to 1592 sales last month.

Tesla’s hold of the EV market in Australia is under threat as new machines hit the market.

Australia has already hosted debuts for new brands such as Leapmotor, XPeng, Zeekr and Deepal.

MORE: How Netflix changed F1 forever

Chinese giant Geely has also joined the fray.

The parent company to several brands including Volvo, Polestar and Lotus, Geely turned heads with sharp pricing for its debut offering, the EX5 electric car priced from $40,990 plus on-road costs.