China's BYD just supercharged its electric vehicle competition with Tesla Motors, jolting the global EV market with a new charger it says will provide more than just power.
The EV maker unveiled Super e-Platform, an ultra-fast charging system that it claims will blow away rivals, notably Elon Musk and Co.
"Batteries are the backbone of EV competition, influencing key factors like range, charging speed, durability and cost efficiency," Rania Gule, a senior market analyst at XS.com, told The National.
"Faster charging technology, such as BYD's new five-minute charger, could change consumer perception."
What is BYD's new supercharger?
The Super e-Platform battery and charging system can hit a peak speed of 1,000 kW, BYD founder Wang Chuanfu said during its unveiling on Tuesday.
That would give an EV enough power to travel up to 470km in just five minutes of being plugged – almost on par with refuelling a petrol car.
The new technology aims to "fundamentally solve users' charging anxiety", according to Mr Wang.
"Our pursuit is to make the charging time of electric vehicles as short as the refuelling time of fuel vehicles," Mr Wang said.
But, more importantly, Super e-Platform is meant to "fundamentally solve users' charging anxiety".
What is charging anxiety?
Charging anxiety is one of the biggest concerns for EV owners: it is their worry that charging stations are unreliable, for reasons unable to find an available charging point or if the equipment is faulty or out of service.
That is different from range anxiety, which charging anxiety is a result of: the former is, as its name implies, the worry of EV owners that their vehicle's power is not enough for a journey.
Aside from leaving home or origin with ample or full charge, it is advised that EV owners map out charging points along their way, in the event a jolt is needed for their EVs.
Currently, one of the biggest barriers to EV adoption is charging time, as most fast chargers take 20 to 30 minutes for a significant charge, while standard home chargers take hours.
A five-minute charger, "if widely available and cost-effective, would dramatically reduce range anxiety and make EVs as convenient as refuelling a gasoline car", Ms Gule said.
How does Super e-Platform stack up against others?
The BYD Super e-Platform’s 470km-in-five-minutes capability dwarfs the best from Tesla. The fastest Tesla V4 superchargers will peak at 500kW when they are launched this year; the fastest current Tesla Superchargers can only go as far as 275km in 10 minutes.
Mercedes-Benz’s CLA EV, on the other hand, is slightly better – but still far off – offering 325km in 10 minutes.
Not even BYD's peers come close to it. Li Auto – whose chief executive Li Xiang reportedly said in a Tuesday Weibo post that it is making moves towards fully autonomous driving – has one EV that can race to a range of 500km in 12 minutes.
Price, however, remains a major concern: if new battery technology adds to the cost, mainstream adoption in fleet operations will face delays, said Rahul Singh, managing director of Thrifty and Dollar Car Rentals in the UAE.
"Legacy automakers and Chinese EV manufacturers may focus on scaling production and localised battery manufacturing to lower costs, making EVs more accessible," he told The National.
How would Tesla and others respond?
BYD sits on top of the global EV market, after famously overtaking Tesla in the fourth quarter of 2023, despite record sales from the latter.
In that year, BYD sold 3,014,692 vehicles, nearly two thirds more compared to Texas-based Tesla, according to latest data from industry tracker EV volumes.
Tesla and other major EV manufacturers would likely respond to BYD’s new charger in several ways, depending on its feasibility, cost and market impact, Ms Gule said.
More importantly, BYD's competition would evaluate whether BYD’s technology "is a breakthrough or a niche innovation before making major strategic shifts", she said.
"While BYD and other Chinese EV makers may experiment with premium pricing for this new technology, their competitive advantage lies in affordability. Unless production costs force a price increase, they are likely to integrate fast charging while maintaining their low-cost strategy to dominate global EV markets."
Will this be a big deal in the UAE?
It is unclear when Super e-Platform will be rolled out. The National has reached out to BYD for comment.
Any improvements in EV batteries are to be welcomed in a market like the UAE, as it is a "defining factor" in adoption where consumers prioritise convenience, Mr Singh said.
For relevant industries such as car rentals – which is popular in the Emirates – the unit economics remain a challenge for these companies to fully integrate EVs into their mainstream offerings, until – just like the aforementioned dynamic on range anxiety – such technology is widespread and cost-effective, he added.
"Until battery prices drop significantly, the rental industry will struggle to absorb costs without passing them on to consumers," Mr Singh said.
Votes
Total votes: 1.8 million
Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes
Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes
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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
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Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
THREE
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Nayla%20Al%20Khaja%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Jefferson%20Hall%2C%20Faten%20Ahmed%2C%20Noura%20Alabed%2C%20Saud%20Alzarooni%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
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THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
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'Laal Kaptaan'
Director: Navdeep Singh
Stars: Saif Ali Khan, Manav Vij, Deepak Dobriyal, Zoya Hussain
Rating: 2/5
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJames%20Cameron%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESam%20Worthington%2C%20Zoe%20Saldana%2C%20Sigourney%20Weaver%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
