BYD isn’t content with its EVs outselling Tesla, now it wants to take on the American electric car giant with its own BYD network of megawatt super-fast chargers.

Tesla’s Supercharger network is one of the biggest reasons to buy a Tesla, thanks to exclusive use of the charging points for Tesla owners at some locations and the ease with which they work with Tesla models. There are currently over 60,000 Tesla Superchargers globally, with the latest units able to add up to 200 miles of range in just 15 minutes at speeds up to 250kW.

BYD announced earlier this year that it has developed its own super-fast charger that can charge EVs at up to 1MW (1,000kW), adding 1.2 miles of charge every second and up to 249 miles-worth of charge in just five minutes, equalling the speed at which petrol cars are able to fill up.

Speaking exclusively to The Independent, BYD Special Advisor Alfredo Altavilla revealed that the first of these so-called Flash Chargers will be coming to the UK next year, confirming that BYD was aiming to rival Tesla’s Supercharger network.

When asked when we will see the first Flash Charger in the UK, Altavilla said: “In 2026. You will get a few stations in every country in Europe. They will be branded BYD, but they will be open to everybody.”