Until recently, I hadn’t paid much attention to electric cars. Not because I was against them, but because the maths never really worked in my head. A petrol stop takes around five minutes, whereas an EV charge could take half an hour or more, and that huge gap in the timing felt like the whole reason against switching over.
Then I came across a claim that some new EVs can now go from nearly empty to full charge in about the time it takes to queue for a coffee. This made me wonder whether charging is still as much of a problem for EVs as it once was, especially if these speeds can eventually become normal rather than something that’s just for the newer models.
How Fast Can EVs Actually Charge Now?
This kind of charging speed is already starting to appear in the latest EV technology, with BYD giving us an example of how quickly things are changing. Its second-generation Blade Battery and FLASH Charging system can take a compatible EV from 10% to 70% charge in five minutes, with a near-full charge taking around nine minutes. BYD also says the system can continue working in extreme cold, even though these figures still only come from the company’s own testing.
The technology is built around charging at much higher power than most EVs currently use. BYD’s FLASH chargers can deliver up to 1.5 megawatts through a single connector, putting them way ahead of the charging speeds that EV drivers will currently come across. Other manufacturers and battery companies, like Geely and CATL, are also developing similar rapid charging systems, so BYD isn’t the only company trying to reduce charging times.
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Could This Solve One Of The Biggest Problems With EVs?
PwC’s 2025 eReadiness Survey found that half of people considering an EV saw charging time as the biggest thing putting them off, while 52% said they would accept a range of 300–400 kilometres if they could charge in under 30 minutes. J.D. Power’s 2026 U.S. Electric Vehicle Consideration Study also found that 26% of new-vehicle shoppers were very likely to consider an EV in April, up from 23% in March, with higher fuel prices also helping to drive interest in electric cars.
The same J.D. Power study found that charging station availability was the biggest reason people rejected an EV, with 46% saying it was a concern, followed by charging time at 44%. Higher fuel prices have now also made EVs more appealing, however infrastructure and charging time still has a big part to play in whether people actually feel ready to make the switch. This is where faster charging could come in and help, cutting down the time drivers spend waiting for their car to charge or for a charger to become available.
What About Battery Life?
Getting a battery to charge this quickly isn’t just about sending more power into it. Large amounts of energy can create more heat and put additional stress on the cells, so the battery and the car’s electrical system need to be designed to handle that extra power without affecting long-term performance.
BYD says a Yangwang U7 completed more than 30,000 kilometres and over 350 flash-charging sessions in nine days, with the battery retaining 98.7% of its original capacity afterwards. It shows what the battery managed under those conditions, but because the test was carried out by BYD over nine days, it can’t really tell us how the battery would perform after years of normal use.
What Could Five-Minute Charging Really Change?
If this technology becomes more available, charging could become something drivers need to plan around less. A shorter stop would make it easier to fit charging into a journey without having to spend a long time waiting for the car to reach a useful level, especially on longer trips where drivers may need to stop more than once.
It could also narrow down one of the practical differences between EVs and petrol cars. Instead of having to think about whether there’s enough time to charge before getting back on the road, drivers could have a much shorter stop that feels less disruptive to the journey.
Charging infrastructure and battery longevity still matter, but reducing the amount of time spent waiting could make an EV easier to live with for people who have been put off by longer charging stops.
