BYD Acknowledges Battery Shortage Hinders Electric Vehicle Production

Jakarta (ANTARA) - BYD is reportedly experiencing a significant battery shortage due to high demand for electric vehicles with ultra-fast charging technology, exceeding the company’s production capacity.

Carnewschina reported on Saturday that BYD Chairman and President, Wang Chuanfu, said the company’s battery production capacity is currently tight as many new models enter the production ramp-up phase.

According to Wang, the battery supply is expected to improve in the coming months as production capacity increases.

The high demand is mainly coming from BYD’s latest models that use second-generation Blade Battery technology and a 1.500 kW ultra-fast charging system.

BYD previously claimed that its new generation of flash charging technology can charge a battery from 10% to 70% in just five minutes.

The company also said that charging from 10% to 97% can be achieved in nine minutes under ideal conditions.

In April 2024, BYD’s battery shipments reached 20.98 GWh, while total shipments since the beginning of the year have reached 81.2 GWh.

On the infrastructure side, BYD continues to expand its ultra-fast charging network in China and claims to have 5,979 ultra-fast charging stations in 312 cities as of mid-May 2024.

The company is targeting a total of 20,000 ultra-fast charging stations to be operational in China by the end of 2024.

In addition to the domestic market, BYD also plans to expand its ultra-fast charging network to international markets, including Europe and Southeast Asia, as part of the company’s global expansion strategy.