This BYD electric car charges in 5 minutes and costs €3,000 less than a Tesla Model 3

Chinese manufacturer BYD is making a big splash with an ultra-fast charging electric sedan. It outperforms its most advanced competitors, while remaining much more affordable. This technology-to-price ratio is likely to shake up the sector's long-standing brands.

Electric cars have long been held back by excessively long charging times. This constraint remains an obstacle for many, despite manufacturers' efforts to improve battery performance. Today, a Chinese player is shaking things up. Thanks to With a new charging technology, BYD promises to make this limit disappear. And this, without skyrocketing prices.

The BYD group has just announced the Han L, an electric sedan capable of recovering around 400 kilometers of autonomy in just five minutes. It is based on the new 1,000-volt "Super E" platform and introduces "Megawatt" charging. To overcome the current limits of terminals, the vehicle is equipped with two ports allowing connection to two chargers simultaneously. The Chinese giant, which this year became the world's leading electric car manufacturer ahead of Tesla, thus confirms its technological dominance.

The BYD Han L recharges in 5 minutes and starts at just €27,000

The Han L is available in three versions, all equipped with an 83.2 kWh Blade battery. The advertised range varies from 601 to 701 kilometers according to the Chinese CLTC cycle. In practice, these figures will be lower, but with such a charging speed, the impact is limited. The starting price is set at 209,800 yuan, or about €27,000. This is well below the 270,000 yuan initially announced, and much more affordable than a Tesla Model 3 sold from 235,000 yuan, or about €30,000. Even the top-of-the-line version of this model, offered at 279,800 yuan (36,000 euro;), remains very competitive.

The Han L also features 1,086 horsepower, BYD's "God's Eye" semi-autonomous driving system, and even a hybrid version with a 1.5L combustion engine for long journeys. The manufacturer is also preparing an SUV based on the same platform, the Tang L, which starts at 229,800 yuan (29,800 euros) and climbs to 289,800 yuan (37,600 euros). Faced with this Chinese advance, Western competition seems to be lagging behind, both in terms of fast charging and price accessibility.