Chinese automaking juggernaut BYD Co. is taking things to even greater heights, now staking claim to a system it says will make it as quick to charge an electric vehicle as to refuel a gasoline car. From ‘more features for no more price’ and ‘smart driving for all,’ BYD can now add ‘charging as fast as refueling’ to its marketing slogans, helping it to capture further share from legacy automakers and more direct rivals like Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc. BYD showcased the upgrade to its EVs (the Shenzhen-based automaker also makes hybrid cars) at an event on Monday evening in China. The so-called Super e-Platform features flash-charging batteries, a 30,000 RPM motor and new silicon carbide power chips. In layman’s terms, what that means is that its cars can achieve a charging power of one megawatt and a peak charging speed of two kilometers per second, making — BYD says — it the fastest system of its type for mass-produced vehicles and allowing for 400 kilometers of range in just five minutes of charging. That’s pretty analogous to what it takes to drive in and out of a gas station and pay for a full tank.

Full analysis : BYD charging breakthrough is another sign of China’s EV lead over United States and Tesla.