For the second time in weeks, BYD, the Chinese rival to Tesla backed by Warren Buffett, has rocked the global auto sector.
On Monday, Wang Chuanfu, the Shenzhen-based group’s billionaire founder, unveiled a new charging system that could add about 470km in range to BYD’s own batteries in just five minutes.
The release of the so-called Super e-Platform has thrust BYD to the front of an industry-wide race to develop battery cells for electric vehicles that will make refuelling electric vehicles as fast as filling up cars with petrol or diesel. It follows the February announcement of its “God’s Eye” advanced driver-assistance system being made available on all its models for free.