BMW has become the latest carmaker to publicly question the real-world value of BYD‘s second-generation Flash Charging technology — capable of refilling a pack from 10% to 97% in nine minutes.
The German automaker argued that the Chinese giant’s headline figures come at the cost of range, durability, and affordability.
Speaking with Australia’s largest online automotive classifieds network Carsales on Tuesday, senior BMW executives said the Munich-based automaker could match BYD‘s charging speeds.
However, it believes the upcoming Neue Klasse models already charge fast enough for most real-world use cases.
“You always have to be careful with those kinds of announcements,” BMW‘s battery production boss Markus Fallböhmer told the outlet.
The executive argued that optimizing a single performance indicator forces compromises elsewhere, comparing battery engineering to pulling one side of a blanket.
“We could also increase our charging speed, but then you have to reduce other important factors of a battery… it is a blanket, if you pull it at one side,” the manager added.
Mike Reichelt, head of BMW‘s Neue Klasse programme, added that the company prioritises range, durability, and reliability alongside charging speed.
“We look at the speed of the Chinese market… but on the other side, we guarantee quality and safety. That is a topic that we do not negotiate with anyone,” Reichelt said.
BYD’s System
BYD unveiled the second generation of its Flash Charging platform earlier this year, pairing the Blade Battery 2.0 with a dedicated megawatt-class charger network in China.
The system claims peak charging rates of 1,500 kW — enough to add around 500 km of range, or a 10–70% top-up, in five minutes.
Denza‘s Z9GT is the first vehicle offered with the new platform.
The model is scheduled to be released across Europe on Wednesday (April 8) — marking the BYD sub-brand’s debut in the Old Continent.
BYD’s system peaks at 1,500 kW — nearly four times the 400 kW maximum of BMW‘s fastest Neue Klasse model.
By comparison, the Neue Klasse-based BMW i3 sedan, set to enter production this year, can replenish 400 km of range in 10 minutes at up to 400 kW.
Lucid’s Pushback
BMW is not alone in raising questions about the Chinese giant’s approach.
Last month, Lucid‘s VP of Communications Nick Twork pushed back against suggestions that BYD‘s ultra-fast charging could undermine the American brand’s efficiency advantage.
“Battery engineering is about choices and priorities,” Twork wrote at the time. “Some systems prioritize extreme charge rates, others prioritize range.”
The executive highlighted that the Lucid Gravity Grand Touring offers up to 450 miles of EPA range and the ability to add 200 miles in under 11 minutes.
Lucid‘s focus on efficiency is long-standing.
Then CEO Peter Rawlinson announced in mid-2024 that the company had achieved a certified five miles per kWh — an EPA-validated landmark Lucid has since used to differentiate itself from rivals.
Nio’s Battery Swap Defence
Shanghai-based Nio has taken a different route in defending its own technology.
Days after BYD revealed the 1,500 kW system, founder and CEO William Li used a Weibo post to reaffirm the company’s commitment to battery swap, calling it “the most convenient and efficient way to replenish energy.”
Li argued that Nio had already addressed fast energy replenishment as early as 2018 and had since focused on solving the issue of electric vehicles having different lifespans for the car and the battery.
Chinese business outlet 36kr identified Nio as the primary target of BYD‘s new ultra-fast charging batteries, given that faster replenishment is one of battery swap’s central selling points.
During a media briefing after the launch of the charging system, BYD‘s General Manager of Branding and Public Relations Li Yunfei was questioned whether the flash charging approach sparked a rivalry against battery swapping charging.
“I think both are actually quite good,” the manager stated, adding that “BYD has so many technologies, so many products, so many brands — all of it is ultimately about giving customers more choices.”
Nio has invested over $2.6 billion in its swap network since opening its first station in May 2018.
Since 2022, several Nio battery swap stations have been included in grid regulation programs in China, focusing on reducing electricity demand during peak summer periods.
As of Tuesday, it operated 3,789 stations in China.
In an internal letter to staff on New Year’s Day, Li set a target of more than 1,000 new stations in 2026, bringing the total above 4,600 by year-end.
The company will also debut its fifth-generation stations across the country later this year, after several delays.
Infrastructure
A key distinction between BYD and its rivals lies in infrastructure strategy.
BYD is building its own proprietary charger network to support Flash Charging, effectively creating a closed vehicle-and-charger ecosystem — an approach closer in spirit to Nio‘s swap-station model than to BMW‘s.
The German automaker, by contrast, has designed the Neue Klasse platform to work within the 800-volt public charging infrastructure already available in Europe, North America and Australia.
That distinction could become more relevant in the coming months.
BYD has confirmed plans to roll out Flash Charging beyond China, with Europe among its first international markets.
The move would bring models like the Denza Z9GT into more direct competition with the BMW i3 in its domestic market — the largest auto market in Europe.
BMW i3
The BMW i3 is the second model under the German automaker’s Neue Klasse EV platform, following the iX3 SUV unveiled last year.
Despite reviving a nameplate previously used on a carbon-fibre city hatchback sold between 2013 and 2022, the new i3 is a full-size electric sports sedan positioned as the electric counterpart to the 3 Series.
Officially revealed in March, the i3 will enter series production at BMW‘s Munich plant in August.
BMW has said most of its future EVs — including an electric 3 Series Touring wagon and larger models — will be built on the same architecture, with production spread across Munich and Debrecen (Hungary), among other plants.
The launch variant, the i3 50 xDrive, is a dual-motor all-wheel-drive model producing 463 hp (345 kW) and 645 Nm of torque.
BMW claims a preliminary WLTP range of up to 900 km on a single charge — roughly 440 miles under the EPA cycle — making it one of the longest-range sedans on the market.
The model is built around BMW‘s sixth-generation eDrive technology, featuring an 800-volt electrical architecture and cylindrical battery cells.
For the US market, the model will be the first BMW to feature a built-in NACS port, allowing charging at Tesla Superchargers without an adapter.
European deliveries are scheduled for autumn 2026, while US deliveries are expected in early 2027.
BMW x Rimac
Separately on Tuesday, BMW and Rimac Technology announced that the new BMW i7 will be the first BMW Group battery electric vehicle to feature a jointly developed battery system.
The pack combines BMW‘s Gen6 cylindrical cells with its Gen5 module-based architecture and is manufactured at Rimac’s campus in Croatia.
The vehicle is set to make its world premiere at the Beijing Auto Show on April 22.
