Imagine a charge for an electric car adding almost as many miles of range as a fill-up with petrol in about the same amount of time – say, 248 miles in five minutes. For the busy fleet driver topping up at a public charger, one of the downsides of EVs would instantly fall away.
Imagine no more. This year, BYD will introduce new models to the UK that can use BYD’s own ‘flash’ charger design, capable of delivering an incredible peak charging power of one megawatt (1,000kW). In 2026, there will initially be 125 installed at UK BYD dealerships, followed by additional public units.
For context, the fastest public chargers in the UK – rapid or ultra-rapid – are rated at 150kW or higher. The highest-powered currently operating in the UK are the 480kW chargers at Park Garage in Blackpool.
As you might imagine for such a technological leap, it’s limited – for the moment. So far, the only cars equipped to take advantage of the flash chargers are based on BYD’s Super e-Platform. Two are on sale in China now, and when BYD launches the upmarket Denza brand here later this year, these will be capable of 1,000kW charging. BYD has also said that it can convert existing 400kW chargers to flash chargers.
BYD flash chargers may be a rarity for now, but the general EV conversation has already been turning away from “how far will it go?” to “how fast will it charge?”
The buzzword here is architecture. When we say an EV has 400- or 800-volt architecture, it relates to the design of the various electronic systems that control charging and power management, including the cabling and battery cooling systems.
Many EVs have 400-volt architecture (for example, some Kias), but for now the most expensive models have 800-volt, and their claimed top-up charging times are not so very far away from BYD’s eye-catching five minutes.
The new BMW iX3 Neue Klasse with 800-volt architecture can charge up to 231 miles in 10 minutes on a 400kW DC rapid charger. The even newer 800-volt Volvo EX60 can add up to 211 miles in 10 minutes on a 400kW charger.
Without getting into the technicalities (and it does get very technical), it’s about more efficient charging. The higher the voltage a car can take, the lower the charging current (the amperage), which reduces heat and resistance. The 800-volt car’s battery can therefore receive more charge from the charger.
It also means that thinner cabling can be used inside the car, which reduces weight. The lower the weight, the better the range and the lower the total cost of ownership (less weight = less tyre and brake wear, not to mention less electricity required to power the vehicle). There’s no data yet on whether such fast charging degrades the battery, but remember, less charging heat is good, and the cars will have systems that protect the battery.
How well you can use an 800-volt EV depends on the power of the public charger you find. We’re well served with Rapid or Ultra-Rapid chargers in the UK. According to Zapmap, as of January 2026, there are 18,077 Rapid or Ultra-Rapid charging devices across 6,673 locations in the UK. Ultra-Rapid chargers have grown at a particularly high rate, it says.
But how about a 400-volt car on an Ultra-Rapid charger? For comparison, a Kia EV4 is claimed to charge from 10-to-80% in 29 minutes when plugged into a 350kW DC charger. In the longest-range version, that equates to 272 miles.
For now, 800-volt systems are generally reserved for more expensive cars, but the technology is quickly trickling down to more accessible ranges as new models are introduced to the market.
For fleet drivers, it’s the new standard to look out for – even if you have to wait a bit longer for a car that can ‘flash charge’.
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