“A line of electric vehicles (EVs) plugged into rechargers as their drivers wait patiently for their batteries to be topped up has become a familiar sight at many service stations. Though some of the latest EVs can recharge in 20 minutes, many take much longer. Yet some EV drivers could soon be back on the road much more quickly. Companies are developing ultra-fast charging systems which can refill a battery almost as fast as a fossil-fuel car can be filled up. Rapid recharging could dispel one of the last remaining obstacles to widespread EV adoption.

One such system will be unveiled in Paris on April 8th by BYD, a Chinese firm that is the world’s biggest EV maker. It consists of a powerful 1,500kW drive-through charger, which looks like a large overhead gantry from which recharging cables descend. When plugged into a Denza Z9GT, BYD’s new premium model, the car’s 122kWh ‘Blade Battery’ can be boosted from 10% capacity to 70% in five minutes. A full charge takes nine minutes.”

From The Economist.