BYD Megawatt Flash Charging Explained: Gen I & Gen II Breakdown

Last week I published my first analysis of BYD's Megawatt Flash charger, the unique T-shaped charger with leaked specs claiming 2,100 kW system output from just 590 kW grid connection.

Working from a single nameplate and one source claiming 1.5 MWh BESS, I wrote my initial analysis focusing on how it could work.

Then the feedback came. Living in Germany, I have very limited access to China's internet. Thankfully, people familiar with Chinese E-mobility scene, Di Hu reached out and shared information related to Gen I BYD flash charger installations. With this I learned the BESS was 200 kWh (net) and I could see the visuals of open charge post and power unit.

Also, I got direct feedback from BYD Europe’s Director of EV Charging, Diego Pareschi. Diego and I are former colleagues from ABB E-mobility, where we worked closely together on a couple key CPO accounts. We also collaborated on the development of the 400 kW charger during the Deutschlandnetz Tender of Germany, so I have a deep respect for his technical capabilities.

I was informed that the BESS assumptions were wrong and I was informed that the BYD blade battery has state of art discharge rates, and that the charger doesn't even require 600 kW to operate.

I was told to wait as soon there will be official details. But it was also confirmed that these T-shaped charge hosts are Gen II / V2 of flash chargers, because at this point I wasn't sure if there are two generations of flash chargers.

This led to many more hours of research. I know I was told that I should wait but where's the fun in that. Sorry Diego, I have to try again. 😅

I don't like to be just a reporter, telling things when they have happened and reading them out loud. As an analyst at my core, I love to dissect things. At my previous job, I spent significant amount of time out of curiosity understanding how competitors (EU Fast Charger Manufacturers) worked, their commercial offers, their SLAs, how many workforce they had, how they planned trainings and under which conditions their sales and service partners worked. Not that it was my role directly, I just wanted to figure things out for myself, to perfect my consultative sales.

So I am giving it another try. Even if I don’t get Gen II correct, I am sure that you will at least understand Gen I / V1 much better.

This time, I was able to find much more details and again there will be assumptions, and I'd like to hear your feedback if I got it right.

Let's start with Gen I first, because understanding this architecture is essential to understanding Gen II.

If you haven’t worked with BESS, you might feel like “ok good information” or perhaps question “is it something special?”.

Now comparing to other battery systems I found. I tried finding BESS that are being deployed separately, but I couldn’t. Therefore I will mention the two BESS I know, which are integrated with the EV charger.

VW Elli Flexpole Plus: 160 kWh capacity. Charges with 40 kW, discharges with max 210 kW.

XCharge GridLink: 205 kWh capacity, charges with 44 kW, discharges with max 150 kW.

One can see the amazing difference between BYD BESS and other players. It shows that BYD owns the vertical integration here and are way ahead when it comes to battery technology.

The next step is to look at the Charge Posts. For Gen I, I identified two distinct types. From the outside, they look identical. I tried finding videos and photos hoping to spot a difference, perhaps in the cables, but with the limited visuals available, I couldn't distinguish them.

However, from the inside, they are completely different beasts.

Just a disclaimer: the nameplates and the open charge post photos in my analysis are likely not from the same physical unit. I reviewed countless videos and pictures, finding partial information in each, so I have pieced this puzzle together here.

You will be surprised to see the great packaging here.

I posted this pic as a teaser on LinkedIn, and the response was immediate: "That packaging is insane."

This unit is easily recognizable by the chiller unit at the bottom. This is necessary to support liquid cooling for the cables, which is required to handle 1000A sessions.

When I first saw this, I thought it was an error. Then I saw the photos of the open charge post and was even more perplexed. Like, what is happening here? I couldn’t find the chiller unit, and the space for the bottom compartment appeared smaller compared to the other housing. There was also a lower number of electronic components.

Usually in China, most of the DC fast chargers are equipped with 250A output cables, so 400A is already ahead.

Looking at the inside, my gut tells me these are air-cooled cables, similar to what we usually see on Alpitronic, ABB E-mobility, or Kempower chargers. I recently compared these manufacturers for their number of chargers, lifetime sessions and energy delivered. I will link it here.

But then I saw people complementing in the video how light the cables were, so I am confused as well, because the 400 A / 500 A air cooled cables are pretty heavy here in EU.

If you are already surprised by the BYD technology, this is going to step it up to another level. 😄

Here are two pictures. One showcases the power modules and the other shows the front of the power unit. Now, let’s break it down.

For Gen I, looking at this picture, you can see there is a maximum capacity for 20x DCDC power modules. In contrast, there are spaces for 4x ACDC modules. However, in this specific setup, there are 15x DCDC power modules and 2x ACDC modules installed.

Let’s take a closer look at the math:

ACDC Modules:

DCDC Power Modules:

So 280 kW from grid, and power modules capable to deliver 1,050 kW. But how. Lets complete the picture.

The key is that the BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) also works between 572-792 VDC, with a nominal voltage of 704 VDC. I saw a brilliant explanation from user ssetrp on the website Zhihu.

I would never have found this if Richard Jiang, Founder and CEO of Bluesky EV Chargers, hadn't posted it on LinkedIn. He provided a detailed breakdown of the BYD Megawatt chargers as well. (I actually met him and the Bluesky team last year at Power2Drive, the largest E-mobility exhibition in Germany).

Mr. Jiang explained the technology and translated the diagram in his newsletter, which I am sharing here.

The BESS and DCDC modules share a common DC Bus. If a 280 kVA transformer is used, 1000 kW of power can still be delivered. This means only 200 kW is required from the grid, while the remaining 800 kW is delivered from the BESS.

This is actually an amazing solution.

In this way, BYD saves a lot of money and lead time on procuring 1,000-2,000 kVA transformers, which would otherwise be required for such sites. Of course, this solution will have its few limitations, especially considering peak holiday seasons, as a 200 kWh BESS is only good for fully charging about 6-8 cars before needing a top up.

At first, I observed that the Gen I Flash charger setup consisted of one BESS and one Power Unit, but I couldn't get a clear picture of the number of charge posts.

Based on the illustration above, one might assume 8 charge points. To be fair, the source created this diagram in the very early stages of the BYD megawatt flash charging announcement, and the details emerged later.

However, when I watched videos of the Gen I system, I could only find 2–3 charge posts, meaning 4–6 charge points total.

My initial assumption was that all of these were Megawatt flash chargers. But then I saw a few photos of the open units and didn't understand why they looked so different. That started my search for the nameplates, where I found two separate models: those starting with STD and FTD, each with different current outputs.

It finally clicked for me that perhaps they are installing a mix. This one video provided the confirmation I needed: 2x MW charge points + 4x Fast Charge Points.

I am unsure what the site looks like for a 4 charge point setup. Perhaps it is 2x MW + 2x Fast Charge Points.

This is my working assumption. Having never been to China, this is as close as I can get for now. But hopefully, I will get to visit China to see the E-mobility scene for myself.

It remains to be seen how this setup will evolve in the future.

Now that Gen I is clear, let's look at the March 17th announcement claiming their system can support 1,360 kW.

If we consider that all 20 liquid cooled DCDC power modules are used:

The math works perfectly.

But looking at the charger post specs and current cable technology, it might not be practically possible yet. I have seen 500A cables work for shorter periods with a 600A boost (e.g., 3-5 mins at 20°C). However, to support 1,360 kW, the boost needs to be at 1,360A, and it seems like too much to ask with this specific infrastructure. Perhaps this capability was meant for Gen II.

Phew. Now let me try for Gen II. Again, these are assumptions, nothing final. 😅

Starting with the nameplate. I believe the picture of the charging host (the power unit or "brain") is authentic. Why? Because I tried to match the Product Model Number and Serial Number with the charge post patterns.

The code follows a specific structure: AA-D-BBBB-XXXXX.

The AA refers to the unit type: SU, ST, or FT. Then BBBB represents the power delivery, such as 2100, 1000, or 0400 kW.

The serial number also follows the established pattern, starting with 0S044 followed by 13 other characters.

Keep in mind that this is the only picture I found of a Gen II charging host. I invested a lot of time trying to find the Gen I host nameplate without success. However, BYD Europe’s Director of Charging did not deny the validity of this nameplate, so let's proceed with that information.

Using the three phase power calculation by assuming a power factor of 0.99:

P ≈ √3 × 380V × 896A × 0.99 = 584 kW from the grid

If we assume the Gen I Power Unit is being used with 4x ACDC modules (140 kW each), then 560 kW is possible. That makes sense.

But the charger host claims 2,100 kW maximum output. That leaves 1,516 kW missing. Where is it coming from?

I previously shared the Gen II image, which featured a T-shaped charging column, 2x BESS, and 1 Power Unit.

Judging by the visuals and the comments from BYD Europe's Director of Charging, I assume the core technology remained the same. This means each BESS is 200 kWh, for a total of 400 kWh battery storage.

If these two BESS units are connected, and each can discharge at 800 kW, that places 1,600 kW on the shared DC bus.

This works on paper. For example, if we assume the Gen I Power Unit chassis is used but we populate all four ACDC modules (4x 140 kW), the system can extract 560 kW from the grid.

Theoretically, the output power totals up perfectly: 800 kW (BESS 1) + 800 kW (BESS 2) + 500 kW (Grid) = 2,100 kW

This also confirms the earlier feedback that this solution won't even require a full 600 kW grid connection to operate at maximum capacity.

But I have a problem here. How would they make it work with the Gen I power unit?

We know the housing can install 4x ACDC modules and 20x DCDC modules of 70 kW each. That results in a maximum of 1,400 kW. I looked at multiple images and videos, but it was inconclusive if they changed the dimensions.

To support 2,100 kW, there needs to be space for 30x DCDC power modules. Or, if the space is limited to 20 slots, the modules themselves would need to increase to 105 kW each.

Unfortunately, this is the puzzle I couldn't solve.

It could be that these are the maximum theoretical specifications, but the units might strictly operate at Gen I specs (1,400 kW max).

If you have any thoughts here, feel free to share in the comments. I would really appreciate it.

If Gen I installations were typically accompanied by 3 charge posts (6 charge points, a mix of 2 MW + 4 Fast Charge Points), I think we might see a similar setup here. We could be looking at 4–5 Charge Posts, meaning 8–10 Charge Points total. I suspect they will use a mix here as well, but I can’t say much more until I verify further installations in China.

This is a topic I will investigate in the future once I know their infrastructure details better.

So far, in the pictures I have seen, I could only spot one "T-post" at a site. In contrast, for Gen I, I could always see 2–3 charge posts at a single location.

I am also intrigued by the rollout strategy in China. In March 2025, it was announced that 4,000 Flash Chargers would be installed. Two months later, this number was increased to 15,000 with the help of partners: Xiaoju Charging (10,000 units) and LongShine (5,000 units).

This aggressive expansion is happening even while sales of the Han L and Tang L are fluctuating or showing slight declines, as I have explained in my post. So, why the push? Let me briefly summarize.

The short answer: No, not at the megawatt level.

Even in China, this is overkill. According to an ICCT report from January 2024 (based on 2022 data), the vast majority of infrastructure is rated at 120 kW or below.

While the landscape has shifted over the last three years with a push for faster speeds, plenty of "fast" chargers in China still operate with 250A cables.

The situation is similar in the EU. We have plenty of fast DC chargers here, especially in Germany where 300 - 400 kW is common. While major CPOs are now rolling out the Alpitronic HYC 1000, very few cars currently charge above 250 kW peak.

In the EU, only one car has hit 1 MW charging performance: the Mercedes-AMG GT XX. During its legendary run, it drove 40,075 km in 7.5 days and I estimate, that it consumed over 22,000 kWh, hitting a peak charging power of 1,041 kW. I wrote a detailed piece on it here.

But that is not a production car. The Han L and Tang L are.

So I believe this is about technology dominance. It is about entering the EU not only with their EVs, which have already received praise from European consumers (like the BYD Seal), but now closing the loop with state of art charging infrastructure.

The competition for EVs and EV Charging is about to get more exciting in 2026. BYD has announced its plan to install these chargers in the EU and has hired an extremely capable team here to execute it.

Whether we see Gen I, Gen II, or some variation of them in the EU, one thing is clear: EV charging in Europe is going up a notch in the coming years.

I will be watching closely as more of these Gen II units roll out. If you want to follow this investigation and see if we can crack the code together, make sure you subscribe my newsletter.

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Thanks and till next week,
Haseeb