SHENZHEN, China — BYD introduced the second-generation Blade Battery together with a new FLASH charging system, technology that targets two common concerns among electric vehicle drivers. Many EV users still worry about slow charging speeds and weaker charging performance in very cold weather.

The company said the new battery can charge from 10 percent to 70 percent in five minutes. It can reach 97 percent in nine minutes under normal conditions.

BYD also said the system maintains strong performance in extreme cold. At minus 30 degrees Celsius, charging from 20 percent to 97 percent takes only about three minutes longer than it does at room temperature.

BYD chairman and president Wang Chuanfu said the industry must address two long-standing challenges. He pointed to slow charging speeds and weak performance in cold weather as barriers that still influence consumer decisions.

The second-generation Blade Battery follows six years of research and development. Engineers focused on improving charging speed and energy density at the same time. These two factors often conflict in battery design because faster charging can reduce the amount of energy a battery can store.

BYD said the new battery increases energy density by five percent compared with the first-generation Blade Battery while also delivering much faster charging speeds.

The battery will appear in new vehicles under the BYD group. The DENZA Z9GT uses the second-generation Blade Battery together with a lightweight vehicle body. BYD said the model can achieve a driving range of 1,036 kilometers under test conditions.

Heat control remains a major issue in high-speed charging systems. BYD engineers created what the company calls a “Lithium-Ion High-Speed Channel” inside the battery.

The design works with a “Full-Spectrum Intelligent Thermal Management System” that controls temperature and maintains stable performance.

The company links the design to its guiding philosophy that “safety is the ultimate luxury of NEVs.” BYD said the second-generation Blade Battery passed safety tests that exceed China’s national standards.

BYD developed the FLASH charger with a single connector output of 1,500 kilowatts. The charger works with a high-capacity energy storage system that reduces pressure on the local power grid while delivering fast charging.

BYD plans to build 20,000 FLASH charging stations across China and begin global rollout before the end of 2026. The stations will remain open to the public as part of the company’s push to expand electric mobility.