SHANGHAI, March 18 (Reuters) - China's BYD

has unveiled a megawatt charging system that it says

can charge an EV as quickly as filling up a fuel tank, and said

it will build a network across China, igniting a new super

charging race.

Here are more details about the Chinese electric vehicle

giant's new technology and why the fast-charging space is

attracting interest:

WHY DOES FAST-CHARGING EV TECHNOLOGY MATTER?

Drivers sceptical of EVs have cited worries that their

batteries could go flat during long-distance drives, prompting

automakers to come up with fast-charging as well as

battery-swapping technology as solutions.

Chinese automakers are increasing using such technologies as

key selling points to attract buyers in a hyper competitive

market and such technologies have been credited for contributing

to the high adoption of EVs in China. Tesla also offers

ultra-fast chargers.

HOW DOES BYD'S NEW SYSTEM COMPARE TO OTHERS?

BYD said its so-called "super e-platform" will be capable of

peak charging of 1,000 kilowatts (kW), enabling cars that use it

to travel 400 km (249 miles) on a 5-minute charge.

To achieve such performance, BYD said it had developed a

package of technologies including batteries with a 10C charging

multiplier, which means they can be charged at 10 times the

battery's capacity per hour. Others include high-power motors,

high-volt silicon carbide power chips and fast chargers that

support 1,000 kW of power.

By comparison, Tesla mainly sticks with a 400-volt

system that can charge at up to 250kW for its EVs. The

exceptions for the U.S. automaker are its Cybertruck that runs

on a 800-volt architecture with a maximum rate of 350kW, and

Semi truck that has a 1,000-volt powertrain.

Zeekr, Geely's premium EV brand, launched

last year an 800-volt platform that can charge 80% of a 75-kwh

battery in its Zeekr 007 sedan from 10% in 10.5 minutes. Li Auto ( LI )

and Xpeng ( XPEV ) have similar technology that can

achieve more than 400 km driving range on a 10-minute charge.

WHY DOES BYD NOW WANT TO BUILD A CHARGING NETWORK?

BYD accounts for more than a third of the EV sales in China

but its owners have largely relied on other automakers' charging

facilities or public charging poles run by third-party operators

to date.

The company said the latest super e-platform required its

own fast chargers and that it would build more than 4,000 such

charging stations across China, without specifiying a time

frame. Founder Wang Chuanfu, at the unveiling event on Monday,

also appealed to external investors, saying the company would

welcome their help in building more.

BYD would, however, be playing catch up: Chinese automaker

Nio has the most extensive charging network in China

including nearly 2,700 fast charging stations.

Tesla had led with its efforts since 2014 in China and built

more than 2,000 stations, or 11,500 Superchargers as of

September.

Smaller players such as Li Auto ( LI ), Xpeng ( XPEV ) and Zeekr have also

been ramping up efforts to expand their fast-charging networks.

Li Auto ( LI ) said last week that it had built 1,900 fast charging

stations since April 2023.

Zeekr said last year that it aimed to build 100,000

ultra-fast charging poles, or 2,000 ultra-fast charging stations

nationwide by 2026.

Huawei has also built liquid-cooled ultra-fast

charging piles that supports a maximum charging power of 600kW

and vehicles of up to 1,000-volt architecture. Its deployment of

charging facilities including the ultra-fast chargers had

exceeded 50,000 piles as of last year.

ARE THERE ANY CONCERNS?

Analysts, however, have warned that mass adoption of

fast-charging technology will put extra pressure on power grid

capacity, which would require additional efforts and investments

to upgrade the infrastructure.

BYD said it would tackle the challenge by equipping an

energy storage unit with each of its fast chargers, which

analysts said would make such facilities more costly.