BYD will install 300 1500kW chargers in the UK under new ‘Flash’ branding over the next 12 months.
The new stations – which will consist of at least 600 chargers – will be by far the fastest in the UK.
There will be 6000 new locations globally. The system, being spearheaded by the new Denza Z9 GT, can charge its 123kWh battery from 10 to 70 per cent in five minutes.
Early adopters of the Z9 GT in the UK will receive 18 months’ worth of free charging at the stations. BYD is calling this the Flash Pass.
The locations will not be purely BYD-owned. The Chinese company is in talks with partners to install new devices at sites where chargers are already located.
Diego Pareschi, director of EV charging at BYD, said: “We are coming into a mature market. It doesn’t make sense to create your own. People want a seamless experience, and with this they will get that.”
When asked about the branding, he said: “Flash charging is more important than branding. We want it to be like USB – its own thing.”
The chargers will be open to every car manufacturer and will use the universal CCS2 charging infrastructure. They will be branded Denza at Denza dealers, but will be called Flash everywhere else. Final details of the chargers have yet to be finalised, but Pareschi said that high-traffic locations will be prioritised. BYD says its chargers are not a drain on the National Grid: the devices can be powered by on-site battery packs topped up by solar panels.
The ultra-fast charging creates an interesting conundrum for BYD, as the company doesn’t want to hold up its customers with other people charging at lower rates. Pareschi said: “We are still figuring out a way to disincentivise people charging at 50kW. This will be market-dependent, but we might put time caps with penalties.”
In July 2025, BYD announced it would bring 1000kW charging to the UK, but it has decided to expand this rollout because of changing market conditions and the fact that it could.
The Denza Z9 GT will start at around £100,000 in the UK, with deliveries expected in autumn once dealers have been selected, which is expected to be in June or July.
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