BYD unveils second‑gen Blade Battery and Flash Chargers that charge 10–97% in nine minutes
Mar 5th 2026
Chinese automaker BYD revealed a second‑generation Blade LFP battery and 1,500 kW Flash Chargers that, BYD says, can take compatible cars from 10 to 97 percent state of charge in about nine minutes while using on‑site energy storage to protect the grid.
- BYD launched a second generation of its Blade LFP battery with cells arranged longitudinally and a claimed cell‑level energy density increase of more than 5 percent.
- The company says 10 to 70 percent charging takes about five minutes and 10 to 97 percent takes roughly nine minutes across 10 planned models, with examples ranging from 4:54 to 5:11 for 10–70% and 8:45 to 9:24 for 10–97%.
- BYD introduced matching Flash Chargers that can deliver up to 1,500 kW using two overhead cables and an on‑site energy storage buffer to avoid overloading the grid.
- The new battery is offered with a lifetime warranty and BYD presented safety claims including surviving a nail penetration test during charging after 500 fast cycles and withstanding a four‑cell short circuit and a high‑force impact test, though these claims are not yet independently verified.
- BYD says the cells can be charged in cold conditions after being frozen at minus 30 degrees Celsius for 24 hours, with 20 to 97 percent charging taking about 12 minutes.
- BYD plans to roll the battery into 10 models including the Denza Z9 GT with a CLTC range of 1,036 kilometers and to install 20,000 Flash Chargers this year after already commissioning 4,239 units in early 2026.
- BYD limits fast charging to 97 percent intentionally to reserve about 3 percent capacity for regenerative braking and to save energy.