Electric vehicle leader BYD introduced a new charging system in China on Monday, increasing the intensity of competition in the world’s largest auto market and advancing its position ahead of competitors like Tesla.
The Shenzhen-based company highlighted its “Super E-Platform,” which can charge its latest models in just five minutes, offering a range of 250 miles. To support the new technology, BYD plans to build 4,000 ultra-fast charging stations throughout China.
If widely adopted, this new charging platform from BYD could revolutionize the electric vehicle industry. For comparison, Tesla’s Superchargers take 15 minutes to charge and provide a range of 200 miles.
“Our goal is to make EV charging as fast as refueling a gasoline car,” said BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu during the launch event. Pre-orders for the new BYD models, featuring the latest charging technology, started on Monday, with deliveries scheduled to begin next month.
Following the announcement, BYD’s shares, listed in Hong Kong, surged over 6%, reaching a record high on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Tesla launched a one-month free trial of its much-anticipated Full Self-Driving (FSD) service in China, which will run until April 16.
The move comes after a disappointing software update last month to Tesla’s advanced driver assistance system, which failed to fully deliver on the promised Full Self-Driving (FSD) capabilities. The lackluster update has led Tesla to collaborate with Chinese tech giant Baidu to improve its performance, according to sources. Tesla has reached out to Baidu for comment.
Tesla aims to fully launch its FSD feature in China later this year, but strict data regulations in the country have prevented the company from using data from its 2 million electric vehicles to train the system, causing delays.
Last year marked the first decline in Tesla’s annual global deliveries, and the company faces increasing challenges in China, where its features are falling behind those of its main competitor, BYD. The introduction of BYD’s new charging technology highlights the growing advantage the Chinese automaker has over Tesla in terms of both innovation and pricing.
Tesla’s sales in China dropped more than 19% in January compared to the previous year, placing it fourth in the market behind BYD, Geely, and SGMW, a joint venture involving Chinese automakers SAIC Motor, Guangxi Auto, and American General Motors.
In 2024, BYD led the Chinese market with a 32% share of new energy vehicle sales, while Tesla captured just 6.1%, despite setting a new record for shipments, according to the China Passenger Car Association.
Last month, BYD introduced an advanced driver-assistance system, available at no extra cost for most of its models. Analysts noted that this free upgrade of the proprietary “God’s Eye” system put additional pressure on Tesla and other Chinese EV manufacturers. In contrast, Tesla offers its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system in the US for $99 per month or a one-time fee of $8,000.
Reports indicated last month that Chinese officials were considering withholding Tesla’s FSD license approval as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations with the Trump administration. This was reportedly the main reason for the delay in the approval.