Huge EV charging boost coming to Australia

EV recharging times will be slashed to the equivalent of petrol refuelling when BYD introduces its one megawatt DC Flash Chargers to Australia next year.

An initiative ordered by BYD global chairman Wang Chuanfu when he visited Australia in July, the chargers are capable of adding 400km range in as little as five minutes.

They will be installed in the dealerships of BYD premium brand Denza, which launches in Australia later this year and is expected to have 25 dealers nationally by the end of 2026.

Sadly, it’s not just a case of rolling into your local Denza dealer and topping up your Atto 3. To extract the full 1000kW of power, an EV needs to be built on a new ‘Super e-Platform’ and use a new generation of BYD Blade lithium-iron-phosphate batteries.

That means the first model sold in Australia likely able to exploit ‘flash charging’ is the Denza Z9 GT, which has been confirmed with 1MW capabilities.

It will also launch in the UK in the first quarter of 2026, where a similar 1MW charger roll-out has already been announced.

“Our chairman is very passionate about this,” Denza Australia chief operating officer Mark Harland said.

“And as an engineer who knows infinitely more than I know, he sees an opportunity in this space for Australia.

“And so really, for us, it's to now work through how quickly we can bring that to market, and which vehicles we’re going to do it [with].”

BYD’s 1MW charger roll-out is the start of what will assuredly be a generational overhaul of fast charging speeds in Australia. Fellow Chinese brand Zeekr has also promised to build its own network locally. And while BYD is starting  with high-end Denza vehicles, 1MW charging is likely to spread to more affordable models in the range in the future – two BYD models, the Han L sedan and Tang L SUV are already sold in China with this tech.

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