BYD Malaysia has confirmed plans to introduce its Megawatt Flash Charging technology in our markets. While no timeline has been announced yet, BYD Malaysia Managing Director, Jacob Ma, said that they are currently in the planning phase, and the chargers will initially be deployed at Denza dealerships.
Speaking to the media during a BYD event in China, Ma said that the timeline for wider introduction will heavily dependent on government policies, as well as the readiness of the electric vehicle ecosystem in the country. Nevertheless, BYD Malaysia is currently exploring collaboration opportunities with government agencies and other third-party charging operators in hopes to accelerate deployment of the technology at more public locations.
The second-generation BYD Megawatt Flash Charger, unveiled globally just three months ago, claims to deliver power outputs upwards of 1,500 kW (1.5 MW). When used by a compatible vehicle equipped with the brand’s second-generation Blade LFP batteries, BYD says it’ll be able to recharge a vehicle from 10-70% in five minutes, adding approximately 400 km of range in that time.
For a deeper charge, 10-97% SoC can be achieved in just nine minutes, under ideal conditions. BYD says that these times are equivalent to fuelling up a traditional internal combustion engine vehicle at the petrol station, thus negating a significant roadblock in the wider adoption of electrified vehicles.
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A key component of the Megawatt Flash Charger is the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), which is installed alongside the T-shaped chargers at each location. Aside from amplifying the power outputs to achieve upwards of 1,000V and 1,000A, the BESS also acts as a temporary energy store that can be charged up slowly, thus effectively minimising the impact to the electricity grid even with the sudden surge in power requirements during flash charging.
Ma clarifies that the chargers could also be open to other makes and models in the future, provided that they are technologically compatible, although the actual charging performance will still differ according to each vehicle’s capabilities.
In China, BYD has already installed over 4,000 Flash Charging stations currently, and aims to increase that number to 20,000 by the end of 2026. Malaysia is expected to become one of the first markets in Southeast Asia to adopt the brand’s megawatt charging technology, although the exact timeline and specific details will only be released in the future.
