I recently stumbled across a story from our siblings over at InsideEVs about some seriously game-changing EV tech, as Chinese automaker BYD recently unveiled an EV charging system capable of delivering a staggering 1,000 kW of power, cutting recharge times to just five minutes. This technology could reportedly add around 250 miles of range in the time it takes to grab a coffee.
Sure, this may seem pretty cool, but the question remains: does everyone really need charging times this quick? There’s no denying that it’s an impressive technical feat, but many in the industry debate whether such rapid charging is truly necessary for everyday drivers.
As detailed in Tim Levin's story on InsideEVs, Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging CEO Andrew Cornelia questioned the need for five-minute charging, pointing out that most drivers spend 10 to 12 minutes refueling a gas car anyway. But I’m not sure if that’s just criticism from a threatened competitor or a valid concern. I’ll let you be the judge of that.
But what I do want to talk about is the application of ultra-fast charging tech beyond the realm of electric cars. Because I think where five-minute charging really makes sense is in our world. In the powersports world.
Motorcycles, UTVs, ATVs, dirt bikes, and even PWCs aren’t just about commuting—they’re about adrenaline, speed, and pushing limits.
A motocross bike is meant to rip around a track, lap after lap. A track-focused sportbike needs to be refueled quickly between sessions to keep the rider in the zone. UTVs and ATVs, whether they’re tackling tough job sites or off-road adventures, can’t afford long downtimes. RideApart's executive editor Jonathon Klein just detailed how the new Kawasaki Ridge Crew basically can replace your truck without fear of damage. In this world, stopping to charge for 30 minutes or more kills the momentum.
If powersports is to go electric in a big way, five-minute charging isn’t just nice to have—it’s a necessity.
So, how close are we to that future? Right now, some of the fastest-charging electric motorcycles, like the Energica Experia (RIP) and Zero SR/F with a 12 kW fast charger, can go from 20% to 80% in around 30 minutes—still far from that five-minute dream. The same goes for Harley-Davidson's LiveWire offspring and Polaris' EV Ranger UTVs. They're all far slower and run off less robust architecture—no 800V systems here.
The key barriers are battery chemistry, electrical architecture, and charging infrastructure. Solid-state batteries and ultra-fast chargers promise to change the game, but they’re still in development. Companies like StoreDot and CATL are working on extreme fast-charging cells that could hit the market within the next few years. And we've already seen cars and trucks with 800V and up architecture—Porsche's Taycan has 800V, while the BY demonstrator Tim spoke of in his original story runs a 1,000V architecture—running through them to accept ultra-fast charging.
Once those technologies scale up, or rather scale down to the size of a motorcycle, ATV, UTV, snowmobile, or jet ski, we might finally see electric powersport machines that can be recharged in the time it takes to grab a drink and catch a breath before hitting the trail again.
Source: InsideEVs
