Currently reading: BYD to bring 1000kW electric car charging to UK this year

Denza Z9 GT will be first car compatible with BYD's megawatt chargers, which it will install across the UK

BYD will bring 1000kW electric car charging technology to the UK with the new Denza Z9 GT shooting brake.

Launched earlier this year in China on the new BYD Han L saloon and BYD Tang L SUV, the company's new 'flash charge' functionality can theoretically add up to 249 miles of range in just five minutes - several times quicker than any EV currently on sale.

Originally, BYD planned to install 5000 1000kW (one megawatt) chargers – which are 1000V and have a maximum current of 1000A – across China in the first year after launch, but Autocar understands the roll-out rate has been far quicker than expected and it's now targeting some 15,000 units there in the same period.

BYD is now planning to take the technology global, and vice-president Stella Li has said that, as "one of the most important markets", the UK is in the frame to be an early adopter, with BYD already preparing to install the first megawatt chargers in the country by the end of 2025.

The company hasn't given a timeframe for the UK roll-out but is understood to be in talks with companies that could partner it for the installation of the new devices.

It remains to be seen how they will be integrated into the UK's national grid, but Autocar understands that the devices can be powered – at least in part – by on-site battery packs, topped up by solar panels.

"We are doing the work now, and then we will start by the end of this year. You will see them in different places," Li said, without giving an indication of the size of the planned network.

The Z9 GT is due on sale in the UK from the first quarter of 2026, and the first megawatt chargers are likely to be installed at Denza's new bespoke dealerships to support that, ahead of a wider nationwide roll-out.

Li said "all the Denzas will have that technology", but the B5 SUV and D9 MPV that will follow the Z9 into the UK next year are plug-in hybrids, so that will apply only to all-electric Denza models coming later.

They will be by far the fastest EV chargers in the UK; currently that title is held by the 480kW devices operated by Helix Renewables in Blackpool.

BYD's 1000kW devices feature two 500kW cables that combine to give the maximum output when plugged in simultaneously to the Z9's two charging ports.

Li said that unlike the majority of Tesla's Superchargers, the new units won't be limited to Denza models: "The flash charging stations can also work with other cars. The only problem is that the car determines the power. Our cars can take all the power."

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Ultimately, Li said, the introduction of such rapid charging technology means EVs need not necessarily have such a long range and buyers will say: "Don't give me more than 300 kilometres (186 miles), because I don't want to pay the cost."

While the megawatt charging is limited to BYD's premium EVs for now, Li suggested that as the technology becomes more prolific and costs come down, it could be rolled out to smaller and more affordable models - right down to the £18,000 Dolphin Surf supermini.

"I think BYD is the company that can always make a dream happen," she said.

However, Li didn't give any details of when other models in the BYD portfolio would receive megawatt charging capability. The Han L and Tang L aren't due to be sold in the UK.

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Felix Page

Felix Page
Title: Deputy editor

Felix is Autocar's deputy editor, responsible for leading the brand's agenda-shaping coverage across all facets of the global automotive industry - both in print and online.

He has interviewed the most powerful and widely respected people in motoring, covered the reveals and launches of today's most important cars, and broken some of the biggest automotive stories of the last few years. 

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