The “charging anxiety” associated with electric vehicles (EVs) has long been a major barrier to their widespread adoption. However, with the rapid advancement of fast-charging technology, the notion of “charging for 5 minutes to gain hundreds of kilometers of range” is transitioning from a mere slogan to a tangible reality.
1. The Genetic Mutation of Smartphone Fast Charging
The fast-charging technology of smartphones has significantly transformed user experiences. Gone are the days when users had to replace batteries; today, a mere 10 minutes can recharge up to 80% of a battery. This improvement in charging efficiency is attributed to advancements in battery materials and systematic innovations, such as Huawei’s SCP protocol and OPPO’s VOOC flash charging. This evolutionary approach is being mirrored in the EV sector. Just as smartphone manufacturers utilize fast charging as a competitive advantage, giants like BYD, Huawei, and CATL are leveraging “charging speed” as a breakthrough to usher in the “fast charging arms race” of the EV 2.0 era.
The core of smartphone fast charging lies in increasing power density and optimizing thermal management. Similarly, EV fast charging must overcome three key challenges: battery materials, thermal architecture, and high-voltage platforms. CATL’s Kirin battery achieves an energy density of 255Wh/kg through third-generation CTP technology, supporting 4C fast charging. BYD’s blade battery has improved its fast charging capability by 200% through structural innovations. In the EV realm, the 800V high-voltage system can boost charging power to 480kW, effectively doubling the efficiency compared to traditional 400V platforms. Models like the Porsche Taycan, BYD’s e-platform 3.0, and Geely’s Zeekr 001 have already adopted the 800V architecture, while Huawei has introduced an AI fast-charging high-voltage platform aiming to achieve “charging for 5 minutes to gain 200 kilometers of range” by 2025.
2. BYD and Huawei: Battery Innovations vs. Charging Ecosystems
In this race centered on “instant charging,” BYD and Huawei are showcasing their strengths through distinctly different paths to propel the industry towards a future where electric vehicles can match the speed of gasoline cars. BYD, known for its focus on vehicle performance, leverages its vertically integrated supply chain to concentrate fast charging technology innovations on the vehicles themselves. Its latest super e-platform supports 1000V voltage and 1000A current, achieving a charging power of 1 megawatt (1000kW) and a 10C charging rate, allowing for a range of 400 kilometers with just 5 minutes of charging. The peak speed reaches “2 kilometers in 1 second.” The core of this breakthrough is its flash charging battery technology, which reduces internal resistance by 50% and enhances heat dissipation efficiency by 90% through designs like the short blade battery, superconducting electrolyte, and dual-sided cooling systems. Additionally, BYD employs a dual-gun charging strategy that doubles the power of regular fast charging stations without relying on supercharging stations, making it compatible with existing public charging networks. BYD aims to make “every electric vehicle a super charging vehicle,” with plans to bring megawatt flash charging technology to models priced around 100,000 yuan, accelerating accessibility through cost reduction at scale.
Conversely, Huawei emphasizes “vehicle-station collaboration” as its core philosophy, building a complete ecosystem from high-voltage platforms to charging networks. Its QianKun Intelligent Driving ADS 3.0 is integrated into partner models (such as the Equation Leopard 8) to optimize path planning and energy management during charging scenarios, thereby enhancing energy replenishment efficiency. The full liquid-cooled supercharging station supports a charging speed of “1 kilometer per second,” leveraging liquid cooling technology to address the challenges of heat dissipation at high currents and featuring energy storage systems to accommodate grid capacity limits. Huawei expands its technological reach through open collaborations with automotive manufacturers like Seres and Chery, positioning itself more as a “builder of smart energy ecosystems” rather than a competitor of individual vehicle technologies.
3. How Fast Charging is Reshaping Competitive Dynamics
The pain points of users are now the new battleground for electric vehicle manufacturers. Surveys indicate that charging speed is the second most significant factor influencing consumers’ decisions to purchase electric vehicles (only behind range). Fast charging technology directly addresses “charging anxiety,” with an efficiency of 400 kilometers in 5 minutes making long-distance travel for electric vehicles comparable to that of gasoline cars. Estimates suggest that when the density of supercharging stations reaches 50% of that of gas stations, user range anxiety will be largely eliminated. The past decade’s “range arms race” in the electric vehicle sector is being rewritten. According to J.D. Power survey data, once mainstream models surpass a range of 600 kilometers, consumer concern over range decreases by 27%, while sensitivity to charging efficiency increases by 42%. This shift in consumer psychology fundamentally redefines the value of time.
Data from Tesla’s V4 supercharging stations shows that replenishing a 400-kilometer range takes only 7 minutes and 30 seconds, which is three times longer than traditional refueling but falls within an acceptable range for users. When charging efficiency surpasses the 5-minute threshold, users’ anxiety about time will dramatically change, shifting the competitive focus of manufacturers from battery capacity to energy replenishment speed. Furthermore, the widespread adoption of supercharging technology is reshaping the value distribution across the electric vehicle industry chain. In the upstream materials sector, the demand for lithium iron manganese phosphate materials is growing at an annual rate of 300%. Midstream equipment manufacturers face pressure for technological upgrades, with market share for traditional charging module companies declining from 65% to 38%. On the downstream operation end, NIO’s third-generation battery swap stations combined with supercharging stations have pioneered a new “swapping and charging” model. Even more disruptive are the ecological barriers created by car manufacturers building their own supercharging networks. Tesla’s global deployment of 55,000 supercharging stations has formed a “replenishment moat,” increasing user retention by 23%. As charging networks become a core competitive element, the industry landscape will shift from single-product competition to a triadic ecological competition of “vehicle-station-network.”
4. When Will Supercharging Become Mainstream?
The rollout of supercharging networks is sparking a new round of infrastructure competition. Based on the standard of achieving 50% of gas station density, China needs to build around 30,000 supercharging stations. Given the construction cost of 5 million yuan per station, leading automotive manufacturers are opting to collaborate with power companies to build energy-storage-based supercharging stations. For example, GAC Aion has introduced a smart energy system combining “photovoltaics + energy storage + supercharging,” utilizing 480kW liquid-cooled energy storage devices to achieve “peak shaving and valley filling” of grid power. Tesla’s Megapack energy storage system, when combined with V4 supercharging stations, allows individual supercharging stations to triple their capacity without needing to modify the grid. This restructuring of energy infrastructure essentially builds the “capillary system” of a new power system.
Standing at the crossroads of industrial transformation, the advancements in supercharging technology bring not only a quantitative change in charging speed but also a qualitative transformation in the usage scenarios of electric vehicles. When charging efficiency surpasses psychological thresholds, electric vehicles will truly escape the label of “urban commuter vehicles,” initiating a complete transition to replace gasoline cars. The competition between BYD and Huawei in fast charging fundamentally represents a clash of two approaches: “affordable technology” versus “empowering ecosystems.” The former lowers user barriers through hardware innovations, while the latter reshapes the replenishment experience through intelligent solutions. In this competition, there are no losers—whether it’s BYD’s flash charging battery that allows for 400 kilometers of range in 5 minutes or Huawei’s liquid-cooled supercharging station at a speed of 1 kilometer per second, the ultimate beneficiaries will be the entire new energy industry and every consumer.
