- BYD is hiring people to lead the development and deployment of its Flash Charging system across Europe, according to a LinkedIn post.
- On compatible electric vehicles, BYD’s Flash chargers can achieve speeds of up to 1,000 kilowatts, or one megawatt—twice what America’s most powerful chargers can do.
- It’s unclear which European BYD models could use the system first, but BYD is clearly serious about building it out.
Earlier this year in Beijing, I got to witness one of the most impressive technological feats I have ever seen. I saw one of BYD’s newest electric vehicles go from a low battery to more than 50% in under five minutes. That was all thanks to the power (literally, in this case) of BYD’s Flash Charging system, arguably the biggest step yet in getting EVs to “refuel” in the same amount of time that a gas-powered car might need.
But here’s some good news for EV drivers everywhere—and potentially bad news for other charging providers: BYD’s Flash Charging system won’t just be limited to China. The automaker has previously said it’s aiming to launch this in Europe next year, and it’s now hiring people to make it happen.
A recent LinkedIn post indicates that BYD is hiring at least two roles in Europe to deploy infrastructure for Flash Charging and to build and manage its network operations center. While BYD’s Network Operation Center will be based in the Netherlands, the automaker is casting a wide net across Europe “to lead the end-to-end deployment and operational integration of BYD’s High-Power Charging (HPC)/Flash Charging stations across the assigned country or region,” according to the posting.
BYD Han L, Tang L and Megawatt Charging
Photo by: Patrick George
The company is looking for someone with extensive experience in the EV charging industry as well as the battery energy storage systems (BESS) space, as Flash Charging can make use of both. The role seems to oversee nearly every aspect of an EV charger buildout, including navigating real estate deals, permitting, grid connection, BESS installation, civil engineering and more. (Salary ranges are not disclosed in the postings.)
Besides being a fascinating opportunity for the right charging or BESS professional, these postings may indicate that BYD is serious about building out Flash Charging across European markets next year.
Flash Charging is designed to work in tandem with BYD’s new Super e-Platform, the world’s first mass-produced vehicle platform on a 1,000-volt electrical architecture. The architecture and its components were all built in-house. Currently, two cars, the Han L EV and Tang L EV, use this platform, but more are coming. Both cars are also capable of using two DC fast chargers at once, though Flash Charging itself does not require this.
The chargers themselves use BESS on-site to reduce their reliance on grid energy, which is a good thing, because they can put out up to 1 megawatt of power—1,000 kilowatts, or twice as powerful as the top EV chargers in the United States. While more and more EVs are arriving soon (including from Europe) that are capable of 400 kW speeds or more, BYD and a few other Chinese automakers have a commanding lead on potential speeds.
At a recent BYD launch in the United Kingdom, the company’s executive vice president, Stella Li, confirmed that other EVs will be able to use these chargers—but only cars on BYD’s Super e-Platform will be able to achieve those blazing speeds.
“We will be open to all brands because it’s standardized charging, but the problem is other cars will not be able to go there for the five-minute charging, they will be limited by their cars’ power, so they will waste their time on them,” Li told the UK’s Car magazine recently.
None of BYD’s current cars for sale in Europe fit that criteria, but more are coming soon, starting with the luxury Denza brand set to launch there in 2026. And in the meantime, it just means a lot more high-grade fast chargers for drivers in Britain and Europe.
“Our target is that we will put in 300 fast chargers into the UK before the end of next year,” Li told the UK’s Car magazine. “Along the highways, we will install fast chargers, you will have the freedom to drive a BYD around the whole island. This is a big investment.”
This year, BYD stepped up its international expansion plans, launching a kei-car EV in Japan and a plug-in hybrid estate wagon in Europe. Its sales have been rising quickly almost everywhere, including Mexico. And while steep tariffs and other barriers make a U.S. launch unlikely anytime soon, it’s obvious that BYD isn’t easing up on EV innovation—even if America is right now.
Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com
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