BYD Unveils Seven-Seat Atto 8 With Nine-Minute Charging Claim

BYD has introduced the Atto 8, a seven-seat electric SUV, in Europe, pairing a claimed range of up to 405 miles with rapid charging that the company says can take the battery from 10% to 97% in nine minutes under specified conditions. The vehicle made its European debut at the Paris Motor Show on October 12. It is BYD’s first European model to combine its second-generation Blade battery with Flash Charging, according to the company. The battery has a capacity of 115 kilowatt-hours. BYD says the Atto 8 can charge from 10% to 70% in five minutes and from 10% to 97% in nine minutes when connected to its dedicated Flash chargers. The company says charging from 20% to 97% takes 12 minutes at temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius. Those times depend on access to the company’s charging equipment. A report on the launch said the nine-minute claim requires BYD’s own Flash chargers, which are rated at up to 1,500 kilowatts; charging on other networks depends on the power available. BYD plans to install 3,000 dedicated Flash Charging stations across Europe by the end of 2027. The supplied reporting did not include independent tests of the charging claims.