A carmaker claims it has overcome one of the biggest barriers to mass electric car ownership.
Although the popularity of electric cars is growing rapidly in the UK, which may have been accelerated by the ongoing problems in the Strait of Hormuz, they are still not as fast as others would like.
One reason people hesitate to buy electric cars is how long they will take to charge. Where a petrol or diesel car can be refueled in a few minutes when almost empty, electric cars take much longer.
However, Chinese company BYD says they have developed something called a “flash-charger” that could allow electric cars to charge from 10 percent to 70 percent in about five minutes.
He also claimed that the system using a 1,000-volt battery architecture could allow an electric car to be charged from 10 percent to 97 percent in just nine minutes. Although this is still slower than a petrol or diesel filling station, it is much faster than current charging times.
The latest claim comes as BYD’s share of the UK market has skyrocketed and sales of the brand have increased by 485 per cent in the last year alone. This gives them 3.3 percent of the total UK market.
Speaking about the development of I According to the newspaper, BYD executive vice president Stella Lee said: “With flash-charge technology we can compete equally with the gas car.
“Before, in places like the UK, 70 per cent of the market was untouchable for us… This technology removes the last hurdle for people to jump into the electric car.”
BYD’s technology development follows data from the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders) showing a rise in the popularity of electric cars in the UK.
Data published earlier this month showed that the 2 millionth electric car was registered in the UK, a 59 per cent increase on April last year. Electric cars also now account for about 26 percent of the UK market.
In a statement, SMMT said this was still below what was required before the government’s ZEV mandate: “BEV uptake reached a strong 26.2% share of registrations in the month – an impressive performance in a typically low-volume month.
“Year to date, BEVs account for 23.1 percent of the overall new car market, well below the 33 percent required for a zero emissions vehicle mandate, despite billions in manufacturer rebates and the introduction of electric car grants last year.”
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: “Two million electric car registrations is an important milestone to celebrate, although natural demand is still well below the level called for by the mandate.”
