Episode 302
302 The Flash Charging Episode
Most drivers still see fast charging as a pain point — waiting for hours at the pump just to top up. But what if EV charging could be as quick and effortless as refilling with petrol?
This episode dives into BYD’s ground-breaking flash charging technology, already transforming EV infrastructure in China and now heading to the UK.
I reveal how this innovation could revolutionize the way we think about charging, batteries, and EV adoption, with speeds that make current chargers look slow.J
oin me as I explore the real potential of BYD’s ultra-fast flash chargers—how they work, what they mean for battery life, and where they’re headed in Britain. We break down the technical details, from the chemistry behind the batteries to the strategic rollout plans, and discuss what it takes for this tech to become mainstream in everyday EV charging.
Will it bridge the gap for UK drivers hesitant about electric vehicles, or are there hurdles that could slow its arrival?
You’ll discover: the key differences between this new charger and existing rapid charging solutions, insights from industry insiders who’ve seen the tech firsthand, and why charging infrastructure might be on the verge of a disruptive leap.
Plus, I share my thoughts on how this technology could reshape EV ownership, and why understanding these developments is essential for drivers, fleet operators, and investors alike.If you’re curious about the future of EV charging or wondering when you’ll experience lightning-fast charges yourself, this episode is your inside look. Whether you’re a tech enthusiast, an EV owner, or just exploring greener transport options, you'll learn what’s coming next—and why it might finally make electric vehicles the clear choice for everyone.
The EV Musings Podcast is sponsored by Zapmap, the go-to app for EV drivers, helping you find and pay for public charging with confidence.
(C) 2019-2026 Gary Comerford
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Transcript
I've often spoken to people who drive fossil fuel cars, and one of the many barriers they see to moving across to electric is that old chestnut of with petrolant being and out in five minutes, I don't want to spend hours waiting for my car to charge. Notwithstanding the fact that EV drivers generally don't spend hours waiting for their car to charge, this argument is now null and void. It's all thanks to the new BYD flash charging, which is already installed in thousands of places in China and which is coming to the UK.
This year.
Gary Comerford (:Hi, I'm Gary, and this is Eevee Musings, a podcast about renewables, electric vehicles, and things that are interesting to electric vehicle owners.
On today's show, we'll be looking in more depth at BYD's ultra flat fast flash charging and whether it's actually going to take Britain by storm or is it just a flash in the pan? Excuse the pun.
Gary Comerford (:Now you've probably seen the videos. Kyle Connor from Out of Spec Reviews, for example, plugging a broken down, semi-disassembled, unheated Denzel car into one of the new BYD flash chargers in China and getting ridiculous charging speeds in the order of minutes from 10% to 70%. And this is all well and good, and nobody at this point is questioning the tech and the fact that this is possible. But today I want to take a bit of a deeper look into this and ask the questions: what will that look like in the UK?
And what impact will it have on batteries? Now earlier this season I spoke with battery electrochemist Dr. Ew McTurk in a long and wide ranging discussion. We discovered numerous topics.
Gary Comerford (:Earlier this season, I spoke with battery electrochemist Dr. Ewan McTurk. In a long and wide-ranging discussion, we covered numerous topics in the battery space. I'll be putting out an episode later this season with his thoughts on some of the upcoming battery chemistries and what they mean for EVs and battery storage. But we briefly discussed the BYD flash charge battery. Here are his thoughts on that.
Gary Comerford (:Now, I was lucky enough earlier this year to be invited, alongside a friend of the podcast Andrew Till, to attend a special demonstration of the BYD flash charging at their headquarters in Uxbridge. Here's some of the footage from that day.
Gary Comerford (:Now I also want to follow up on some of the discussion I had with Ewan about showing the presentation that I watched with D Diego Perez, director of EV charging at BYD Group. ap apologies in advance for those watching this video rather than listening. I was trying to video the whole thing, but two guys sat in front of me shortly before it began and blocked a bit of the right hand of the screen. I think you'll be able to understand the discussion, even though some of the stuff is obscured.
Gary Comerford (:So what did we learn? Well, it's important to understand that the flash charging technology, whilst revolutionary, is not bleeding edge tech. It's battery storage, a specific LFP battery chemistry, and some good software. Lots of companies have produced rapid charging hardware before. Chem Power have megawatt charging available on their units, as do Alpatronic, for example. But this is CCS charging, reaching one and a half megawatt peak speed.
And the reason this works so well is that much like the Teslo ecosystem, it relies on having BYD Gen 2 blade batteries attached to a BYD flash charging station attached to a BYD battery storage unit made from BYD Gen 2 blade batteries. You will be able to use this BYD flash charging hardware with any CCS equipped TV in the UK, but it won't alter your charge curve if your car isn't equipped with a BYD Gen 2 blade batteries. Now, if you hook up your i3 with a max charge speed of 49 kilowatts, guess what?
You'll only charge at 49 kilowatts. The good news is that all new models of BYD coming out of China will be equipped with this tech. That includes new versions of existing cars such as the SEAL, the Dolphin, and the Dolphin Surf. But here's the question that's still outstanding in my mind. How are these going to be rolled out? On the morning of the day I went to Uxbridge, the session was devoted to charge point operators. They were there to see how this would fit into their sites.
BYD themselves will be finding sites to roll out this technology in the UK. Primarily these BYD owned sites will be dealerships. The intent will be to you the intent
Gary Comerford (:Okay.
The intent will be to use them as demonstrators to show customers, hey, you wanted a Porsche Takan? Fine, but let me show you what you can get instead and how the charging is similar to refilling at a petrol station. They may end up with their own public charge hubs. I'm not sure, and I don't even know if they know. Their deployment manager has been set a target of 300 sites in the UK by the end of next year, but there's no indication of how that split. But there will also be the issue of how this will interact with.
With the current charge point operators, BYD have told me that they won't sell the charges to CPOs. They'll lease them out and maintain control of them. Now, just a bit of background. BYD in China is considered a CPO because, as a general rule, anyone with a BYD or a Denzer or a Yang Wang or any one of the sub brands of BYD will generally charge at a unit owned by BYD. The concept of a pure play CPO doesn't really exist in China. It's a bit like how Tesla does it.
Since January of this year, BYD have rolled out 6,000 flash chargers in China. They want 3,000 in Europe and 300 in the UK. So let's take Osprey charging as an example. Will they take these charges? Possibly. They were definitely the demo day, and they have discussions with Stella, the head of BYD, while there. But how will these be rolled out for Osprey charging? Will they replace a couple of chargers at each of their larger sites?
Paisley Pear or Strawberry Fields in Devon, for example, with a couple of BYD flash chargers. Or
Gary Comerford (:Will they create a new site that just has BYD flash chargers? Remember, any CCS equip vehicle can use them. Or
Gary Comerford (:Will they add one or two of these to brand new installs going forward? Now, time will tell, obviously, but I can see issues with rolling these out as people do what I mentioned earlier, which is roll up ready to use these flash chargers they've heard so much about, only to find that they're no faster on the Vauxhall Corsair E than any other charger in the UK. Now that's a lot of education needed to get that message across.
Gary Comerford (:I hope you enjoyed listening to today's show. It was put together this week with the help of Dr. Ewan McTurk from Plug Life Consulting, Diego Preschi and Diego Poreski and Buno G from
Gary Comerford (:It was put together this week with the help of Dr. Ewan McTurr Plug Life Consulting, Diego Perez and Bono G from BYD, and Mr. E. V. Andrew Till, many thanks for their help.
Gary Comerford (:If you've reached this part of the podcast and are still listening, thank you. Why not let me know you've got to this point by tweeting me, by messaging me, at musingzv.bsky.social with the words saviour of the universe. Hashtag if you know you know, nothing else. And thanks, as always, to my co-founder, Simon. You know he's starting to slow down a bit nowadays. Might even be looking for a different sort of career path. Radio DJ, perhaps. A day with hospital radio sparked the idea, I believe. Thanks for listening.
Bye bye now.
