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A Chinese car company has claimed their new technology will finally overcome one of the biggest obstacles to electric car ownership
11:52, Thu, May 14, 2026 Updated: 11:52, Thu, May 14, 2026
A car company says they may hold the key to mass EV uptake (stock) (Image: Getty)
A car manufacturer has claimed that it has overcome one of the biggest barriers to large scale electric car ownership.
Although electric cars are growing in popularity in the UK at a rapid rate, something that could be accelerated by the continuing problems in the Strait of Hormuz, they are still not as fast as others would like.
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One of the reasons why people are hesitant to buy an electric car is because of how long they can take to charge. While a petrol or diesel car can be refuelled from almost empty in a matter of minutes, electric cars take a lot longer.
A BYD car (stock) (Image: Getty)
However, Chinese company BYD says they have developed something called a “flash-charger” that could allow electric cars to be topped up from 10 percent to 70 percent in about five minutes.
They also claimed the system, that uses a 1,000 volt battery architecture could allow an electric car to be charged from 10 percent to 97 percent in just nine minutes. While still slower than a petrol or diesel filling station, it’s much quicker than current charging times.
The latest claim comes as BYD’s share of the UK market skyrockets with the brand’s sales rising by 485 percent in the past year alone. This gives them 3.3 percent of the total UK market.
Speaking about the developments to the i newspaper, BYD’s executive vice president Stella Li said: “With the flash-charge technology we can equally compete with the gas car.
“Before, in places like the UK, 70 percent of the market was untouchable to us…This tech removes the final barrier for people to jump into an electric car.”
The development of BYD’s technology follows data from the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders) showing a rise in the popularity of electric cars in the UK.
Chinese cars have risen in popularity in recent years (stock) (Image: Getty)
Data published at the start of this month showed that the two millionth electric car had been registered in the UK, a 59 percent rise compared to April last year. Electric cars also now have around a 26 percent share of the UK market.
In a statement, the SMMT said this was still below what was needed ahead of the government’s ZEV mandate: “BEV uptake reached a robust 26.2% share of registrations in the month – an impressive performance albeit in a typically low volume month.
“Year to date, BEVs comprise 23.1 percent of the overall new car market, significantly short of the 33 percent required by the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate, despite billions in manufacturer discounts and the introduction of the Electric Car Grant last year.”
Chief executive of the SMMT Mike Hawes added: “Two million electric car registrations is a considerable milestone to celebrate, although natural demand is still well below the level demanded by the mandate.”
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