Reading time 9 min
14. May 2025
A new platform for passenger cars is causing a sensation among experts worldwide: BYD is turning the electric car market on its head with the announcement that it will enable up to 1000 kW charging power in series production vehicles. But how realistic is this and what is the technology behind it? Markus Erdmann, Head of Product at Designwerk Technologies AG, and Dr. Joachim Sann from the University of Giessen take a critical look at the Super e platform and classify it from a technical perspective. Both experts are guests on the GELADEN battery podcast and exchange views.
With the so-called Super e platform, the Chinese car manufacturer BYD promises nothing less than a charging revolution in the passenger car sector: 1000 kW charging power, 400 km range in five minutes and an indestructible battery pack. 1000 kW charging power corresponds to a range of around 2 kilometers per second! A technical sensation – or just a clever marketing strategy? The announcement provoked mixed reactions: admiration meets skepticism. “It sounds incredible at first. But in purely physical terms, it is possible – it is technically ambitious but actually realistic in parts,” explains Markus Erdmann from Designwerk Technologies. “Whether it makes sense is another question.”
Dr. Joachim Sann from the University of Giessen is convinced “1000 kW is not magic – it is the result of an intelligent arrangement of small battery cells. The number of cells was simply doubled in order to achieve a higher system voltage.” The fact that smaller cells are more difficult to scale and are significantly more expensive is the price for better performance.
Sann and Erdmann agree that the heart of the BYD innovation is the cell chemistry – more precisely, the optimized LFP cell. Both see this as the key to high charging performance. According to the experts, the Chinese car manufacturer has managed to significantly reduce the internal resistance of the cell. As a result, less waste heat is generated during charging and the current can be significantly higher at up to 1000 amps.
The company also relies on sophisticated thermal management. With this, the heat generated is not only dissipated via the underside, but also via the top of the cell. Erdmann notes that this is a real highlight. “We at Designwerk know from our own experience how important temperature management is – especially for LFP batteries.”
A technical milestone could be the announced charging speed of up to 10C – i.e. ten times the charging current in relation to the capacity. This would be a paradigm shift, as the anode has been the limiting element up to now. According to Sann, however, it is precisely the transition that is exceptionally efficient at BYD, i.e. the moment when the lithium turns into graphite.
>> Nice to know: For 10 years now, it has been possible to buy LFP batteries that can achieve 10C when discharging – in principle, the cathode provides the power. Until now, however, the anode was the limiting element when charging.
Senn and Erdmann agree that battery chemistry is at the heart of BYD’s technology. Both speak of the high-performance cell technology with which the Chinese car manufacturer impresses.
“For the passenger car sector, megawatt charging is more of a gimmick. Vehicles rarely cover long distances in everyday life. They also don’t transport heavy loads, which would also have an impact on consumption. In the truck sector, however, it’s a different story,” explains Erdmann.
Designwerk began developing a battery-buffered Mega Charger (MCS) several years ago. The Mega Charger is intended to show how a high-performance charging network and security of supply can go hand in hand. Trucks regularly cover long distances. Every minute of charging time counts with heavy weights and tight shift patterns. Mega Charging makes sense in this area in particular, according to Erdmann.
A central topic at Designwerk, as well as at BYD, is the establishment and expansion of intelligent charging parks. A strong grid connection is not possible everywhere. Buffer storage systems that deliver high charging currents without overloading the grid could therefore be a useful addition. This is precisely where Designwerk comes in with its Mega Charging System: The Mega Charger from Designwerk offers up to 2.1 MWh of buffer storage and up to 1.4 MW of charging power. The device was first used by the customer Galliker in 2024.
With megawatt charging in the passenger car segment, the question quickly arises as to when the costs exceed the added value. At 600 amps and 800 volts, charging capacities of up to 480 kW are possible. This means that a car with 80 kWh can be charged in around 10 minutes with an optimum charging curve. Achieving 1000 kW, as with BYD, requires a great deal of technical effort, which has an impact on the system architecture. Any further increase in charging power increases costs enormously, but only marginally improves the customer experience. This raises the question of what this time saving is worth to customers.
For a truck recharging 500 kWh, megawatt charging can reduce the charging time from around 65 minutes to 30 minutes. This increases the availability and energy throughput of the charging station and increases the value-adding time of the truck. In addition, implementation is easier due to the significantly higher energy content of the batteries, as the load per cell is lower.
The discussion remains open as to how fast charging could establish itself in the long term. “Some are focusing on quantity – many charging points with moderate power – others on quality, i.e. fewer, but very powerful stations,” says Sann. “In urban areas, the concept of fast charging with one megawatt could appeal to new target groups.”
“Charging parks on the outskirts of cities, where people can quickly charge their cars once a week and fill up with enough energy for a week, are also a conceivable and sustainable scenario,” says Erdmann. This would be a completely new usage concept and could give e-mobility in general a decisive boost.
Mega charging is no longer a topic for the future. While politicians are still discussing 350 kW charging, companies such as Designwerk for e-trucks and BYD in the passenger car sector are launching solutions that are revolutionizing charging times.
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