BYD Wins Germany's Paul Pietsch Award for Flash Charging Tech: 5 Minutes Adds 400 km Range

BYD's flash charging technology recently received the German International Paul Pietsch Award—the first time since the award’s inception in 1989 that it has been granted to a Chinese company. Named after a pioneer of the German automotive industry, the award is organized by MotorPresse Stuttgart. BYD’s Megawatt Flash Charging technology achieves a charging power of 1 megawatt (1,000 kW) at 1,000V voltage and 1,000A current, delivering a 10C charging rate and a peak charging speed of 2 kilometers of range per second—adding 400 kilometers of range in just 5 minutes. The second-generation Blade Battery and flash charging technology, set for launch in March 2026, will increase the maximum single-charger power output to 1,500 kW, enabling a charge from 10% to 70% in only 5 minutes and from 10% to 97% in 9 minutes. As of June 2026, BYD has built 6,419 flash charging stations nationwide and plans to expand this network to 20,000 stations by the end of 2026, including 18,000 urban stations and 2,000 highway stations. Additionally, BYD won five Second Prizes in the 2025 National Science and Technology Awards, making it the automaker with the most awards in this year’s competition.