BYD playing catch-up with demand for fast-charging batteries as appeal of EVs rises

Carmaker says sales volume this year will be limited by battery production, which it is expanding by 20,000 to 30,000 units per month

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BYD expects its fast-charging batteries to provide a sales boost. Photo: Reuters

Published: 7:07pm, 9 Jun 2026Updated: 8:10pm, 9 Jun 2026

China’s electric vehicle (EV) king BYD said demand for its second-generation blade batteries currently outstrips existing capacity, as Chinese cars gain popularity around the globe.

At the company’s annual general meeting in Shenzhen on Tuesday, chairman and president Wang Chuanfu told shareholders that its Blade Battery 2.0 and Flash Charging technology had received a warm response in domestic and overseas markets, but that battery cell production remained insufficient to meet demand.

BYD was increasing its battery production capacity by 20,000 units to 30,000 units per month, Wang said, adding that this year’s sales volume would be subject to the supply of its latest batteries.

“Once our [battery] production catches up next year, we are confident that both domestic and international markets will see strong growth,” said the boss of the world’s largest EV producer on Monday.

The Shenzhen-based company started mass production of its second-generation Blade Battery in early March, which it said was able to charge from 10 per cent to 97 per cent in nine minutes, initiating a charging speed war among domestic battery makers including Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL) and CALB Group at the Beijing Auto Show in April.

BYD also extended the application of the new battery and charging technology by at least 12 of its models, which helped fuel a shortage of battery cells, Deutsche Bank said in a note on Tuesday.

This led to waiting times of four to five weeks for the company’s Denza Z9 GT sedans, the first model to include the new technology, the bank added.

BYD playing catch-up with demand for fast-charging batteries as appeal of EVs rises

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Carmaker says sales volume this year will be limited by battery production, which it is expanding by 20,000 to 30,000 units per month

Carmaker says sales volume this year will be limited by battery production, which it is expanding by 20,000 to 30,000 units per month