EVwire brief: A BYD Megawatt Flash Charger in China has been found with its two charging handles chained together, with footage of the disabled unit spreading across Chinese social media. BYD, meanwhile, has pledged to crack down on misuse of its Flash Charging stations.
The video shows both handles bound to each other with a metal chain, leaving the charger practically unusable. A driver plugging in one handle would have the other knocking against their car, and the chain itself could easily scratch the vehicle's paint.
Here's how the chained handles look:
Image: CarNewsChina
Thinking of getting an EV, selling yours, or need EV accessories and adapters?
Check out our fresh EVwire EV Deals page for the discounts we've gathered.
Apart from the chain, the charger appears to be in working order. Both handles show green ready-to-charge lights, the station's display looks normal. The site hasn't been cordoned off either.
No one has claimed responsibility for the chain, and BYD has not commented on the specific incident. Some Chinese netizens have pointed fingers at rival automakers, while others suggested that small independent fast-charging operators, who may see BYD's charging push as a threat, could be the culprits. Neither theory has been confirmed.
BYD did address misuse of its Flash Chargers more broadly in a Q&A post on WeChat, responding to a user who said the Flash Charger near their home was often blocked by combustion cars:
"We recommend using the one-tap vehicle relocation feature in the Traffic Police 12123 app. Enter the license plate of the vehicle occupying the space and upload a photo of it, and the system will notify its owner to come move the car, without revealing your or the other owner's phone number. We will also strengthen station management, improve our space occupancy controls, and keep working to resolve occupancy issues."
By the way, it sure looks to us like you are an EV geek like ourselves.
Which means you belong with us: join 14,700+ reading our newsletters: subscribe
Context:
The chained charger isn't the first odd incident at a BYD Flash Charging station this month. Earlier in October, children were reportedly spotted using one of BYD's Flash Chargers as a swing.
Despite the high output of BYD’s Flash Chargers, not every car using the system can use it at full speed. The chargers only deliver their top charging speeds to compatible vehicles. Still, owners of older and non-BYD EVs in China still use the stations for their ease of use and novelty.
BYD's Flash Charging network has been growing quickly. The company switched on its 2,000th highway Flash Charging station in September, three months ahead of its year-end target, while rivals like Geely and Xpeng have been rolling out megawatt charging of their own.
Source: CarNewsChina
DIG DEEPER: If you have not already, join 14,700+ EV geeks getting our newsletter: subscribe.
