A car manufacturer has announced it has conquered one of the greatest obstacles to widespread electric car ownership.
Although electric cars are gaining popularity across the UK at a remarkable pace — something that could be further boosted by the ongoing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz — uptake is still not as swift as many would like.
One of the primary reasons consumers remain reluctant to purchase an electric car is the time required to charge them. While a petrol or diesel vehicle can be refuelled from nearly empty in just a few minutes, electric cars take considerably longer.
Now, however, Chinese manufacturer BYD claims to have developed what it calls a "flash-charger" that could enable electric vehicles to be topped up from 10 percent to 70 percent in around five minutes.
The company also stated that the system, which utilises a 1,000 volt battery architecture, could charge an electric car from 10 percent to 97 percent in just nine minutes. While still slower than a traditional petrol or diesel forecourt, it represents a dramatic improvement on current charging speeds, reports the Express.
The announcement comes as BYD's presence in the UK market surges, with the brand's sales rocketing by 485 percent in the past year alone, giving them 3.3 percent of the total UK market.
Speaking about the breakthrough to the i newspaper, BYD's executive vice president Stella Li said: "With the flash-charge technology we can equally compete with the gas car.
"Before, in places like the UK, 70 percent of the market was untouchable to us...This tech removes the final barrier for people to jump into an electric car."
BYD's technological advancement comes on the back of figures from the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders) revealing a surge in electric car popularity across the UK.
Statistics released at the beginning of this month confirmed that two million electric vehicles had been registered in the UK, representing a 59 percent increase compared to April last year. Electric cars now command roughly a 26 percent share of the UK market.
In a statement, the SMMT noted this still fell short of what was required ahead of the government's ZEV mandate: "BEV uptake reached a robust 26.2% share of registrations in the month - an impressive performance albeit in a typically low volume month.
"Year to date, BEVs comprise 23.1 percent of the overall new car market, significantly short of the 33 percent required by the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate, despite billions in manufacturer discounts and the introduction of the Electric Car Grant last year."
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes commented: "Two million electric car registrations is a considerable milestone to celebrate, although natural demand is still well below the level demanded by the mandate."