Colorado man travels to China because he doesn't believe BYD's fast-charging claims and then ends up witnessing something revolutionary
Published on Apr 28, 2026 at 1:53 PM (UTC+4)
by Ben Thompson
Last updated on Apr 28, 2026 at 3:10 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
When this Colorado man traveled to China, he didn’t believe what he’d heard about BYD’s fast-charging.
Kyle from the Out of Spec Reviews YouTube channel traveled to Beijing for a real-life test of BYD’s ‘Flash Charging’ technology.
At the center of the video was a Gen 2 Blade Battery, which could reportedly go from 10 percent to 70 percent in five minutes.
Was this really all it was cracked up to be?
What was the truth about BYD’s fast-charging?
There’s been an awful lot written and said about BYD in the last few years.
This Chinese manufacturer has been everywhere, whether it’s skyrocketing sales in the UK or making gains in South America.
We would expect nothing less from the world’s biggest EV seller.
But sales figures and profit margins are one thing – can these products deliver where it counts for the driver?
That’s what Kyle from Out of Spec Reviews wanted to find out for himself.
The Gen 2 Blade Battery was at the root of this investigative trip.
What sets this apart from traditional batteries?
While standard batteries often leave drivers choosing between energy density and charging speed, the Gen 2 Blade Battery allowed for extremely fast charging rates across the brand’s entire lineup.
That includes budget cars and luxury models alike.
It has been touted as going from 10 percent to 70 percent in a matter of five minutes, and reaching an almost full charge within nine minutes.
Those are some impressive figures.
Even in below-freezing temperatures, the battery reportedly gets to a full charge within 12 minutes.
Now this all sounds very impressive, but is this how it played out in real life?
For the sake of this test, Kyle used a crashed Denza Z9 GT that he’d found in a dealership parking lot.
Sitting at an ambient temperature and with its front bumper missing, this was hardly a model car.
Would that affect the final results of this experiment?
How long would it take for this Denza Z9 GT to charge?
In a real-world test, the results were remarkable.
Getting from 30 to 80 percent only took five minutes, while reaching 97 percent took eight minutes.
It was also notable how quiet the whole charging process was.
In addition to that, the cable remained cool to the touch during the whole process despite a huge power transfer.
“That is just the hardcore smackdown to any excuse to not drive an EV in terms of road trip time, daily charging time. It’s a gas car now,” Kyle declared.
“I feel like there were some big moments in the EV transition over the years… This is deserving of any of those big moments.”
So, there you have it, BYD’s fast-charging is a really big deal.
Following stints at LadBible, The Sun, The New York Post, and the Daily Mail, Ben joined the team full-time in February 2025. In his role as Senior Content Writer, his sparkling copy, the ability to sniff out a good story at 100 paces, and a GSOH quickly led to him becoming an integral and invaluable member of the writing staff.
