A leading expert in the automotive industry, Stefan Bratzel, sees the new fast-charging technology from Chinese manufacturer BYD as a significant step forward for electric mobility.
The issue of charging speed is crucial in electric mobility, he said in an interview with RTL and ntv on Friday. “BYD is a car manufacturer that is very strong in battery technology. In fact, this new development solves a problem.” However, it will take a few years for the implementation of this technology to be widespread, Bratzel added.
Chinese car manufacturer BYD recently presented a new fast-charging system that, with a charging power of 1,000 kilowatts, is expected to enable the recharging of up to 400 kilometers of range in a matter of minutes.
Whether electric cars can truly charge as quickly as a gasoline-powered car is refueled, Bratzel said, depends on several factors. “The goal of many manufacturers to be able to charge an electric car in ten minutes for 200 to 300 kilometers is a target. I assume that by the year 2030, we will be able to charge all vehicle segments as quickly as we can currently refuel a car.” Already, some models in higher vehicle classes can recharge to 200 kilometers in a few minutes, but a widespread availability of such technology is not yet achieved.
The development of the charging infrastructure is crucial in this regard. “The car manufacturers are under an obligation, in my opinion, to exert pressure on the charging infrastructure providers and network operators to ensure that fast-charging parks can provide such high charging powers” Bratzel said. Currently, there are already charging stations with a power of 400 kilowatts, but the vehicles must also be able to process these high charging powers.
Regarding the question of whether the technology is developing too quickly and making today’s electric cars obsolete, Bratzel offers some reassurance. “We now have a very good technology in the latest electric cars. Anyone who buys an electric car today and sells it again in three years is on the safe side.”
In addition to fast charging, the ranges of the vehicles also play a major role. “We see that major manufacturers like BMW and Mercedes are working on high ranges” Bratzel said. New models are already achieving ranges of up to 700 to 800 kilometers. “And these high-end vehicles usually also have high charging powers, so that you can recharge a few hundred kilometers in a matter of minutes.” Volkswagen, for example, is already offering models like the ID.7 with ranges of around 700 kilometers.
Despite the progress, Bratzel cautions against overblown expectations. “We shouldn’t get our hopes up too high. We won’t be charging all with 1,000 kilowatts tomorrow – it won’t happen that quickly. But even with 100 or 150 kilowatts of fast charging, that’s not so bad after all.