Nine in 10 used car dealers believe BYD’s planned five-minute flash charging technology could be a “game changer” for electric cars, according to new research from Startline Motor Finance.
July’s Startline Used Car Tracker found 90% of dealers believe the charging technology, which BYD plans to introduce on some models later this year, could help accelerate EV adoption.
The research also found that 78% of dealers believe five-minute charging would make charging an electric car as easy as refuelling a petrol or diesel model.
Charging barrier eases
More than half of dealers, 53%, said the technology could allow public chargers to be used more like petrol pumps, with drivers able to queue, charge and leave quickly. Almost a third, 31%, said it could make electric cars more accessible to people without space for a home charger, such as those living in terraced houses or apartments.
Only a small proportion of dealers were sceptical. Startline said 3% believed this type of high-speed charging would be expensive, while 3% thought the infrastructure needed would be complex and unlikely to become widely available soon.
Paul Burgess, chief executive at Startline Motor Finance, said: “BYD plans to introduce flash charging on some models later this year, claiming to charge from 10-70% of battery capacity in five minutes, backed up with a network of proprietary high-speed chargers.
“This appears to be a step change in EV charging and our research shows dealers think consumers will notice and want this technology. Especially, it opens the door to easier EV ownership for people living in terraced houses and apartments who don’t have driveways where their own overnight charger can be installed.”
EV rivals under pressure
The tracker also found that 87% of dealers believe other car makers will be forced to follow BYD’s lead and introduce their own flash charging equivalent.
Burgess noted that some manufacturers have already suggested they could emulate BYD’s approach, but have questioned the impact ultra-fast charging could have on range and long-term battery health.
He said: “It’s interesting some manufacturers have said they could emulate the BYD approach but don’t think it is ultimately good for range and long-term battery health. We could potentially see a battle between different approaches to battery tech playing out in the EV market.”
The Startline Used Car Tracker is compiled monthly for Startline Motor Finance by APD Global Research. The July tracker questioned 300 consumers and 60 dealers.
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