The Battery Revolution: 4-Minute Charging Is Coming – What's Available Today?

Charging for electric vehicles is improving; how long will it take and when, what is the current situation with Teslas and BYD?

The electric vehicle market is making huge progress, but it still carries with it one major limitation: charging time. If buying an electric vehicle in the past depended on price, range or taxation, today more and more drivers are asking the simple question: When can I charge like I fill up a tank – and continue driving within minutes?  

The next battery is just around the corner

The race to shorten charging times has become one of the key challenges for the global automotive industry. Companies like CATL, StoreDot, QuantumScape, and manufacturers like Hyundai, Toyota, and BYD are working on new generations of batteries – some based on lithium-iron, others on solid-state.

The stated goal is to charge from 0% to 80% in less than 5 minutes. As of today, the technology exists in laboratories, and some of it has even undergone initial field trials. The Israeli company StoreDot, for example, claimed a year ago that it had managed to charge a Tesla vehicle with prototype technology from 10% to 80% in exactly 5 minutes, without damaging the battery.

So why isn't it here yet?

Several reasons: The problem is not only technological, but also infrastructural and business. The batteries require dedicated chargers with higher power (sometimes twice as much as what is available at public stations today). Furthermore, the electricity grid in many cities is not yet capable of supporting such a large-scale deployment of fast charging.

Another problem is cost - the batteries themselves are significantly more expensive to manufacture and it is difficult for manufacturers to justify the cost in a market where profit margins are tight. In addition, current battery temperature management systems (BMS) do not always keep up with the high rates of charge-discharge - which also requires an upgrade in the vehicles themselves.

What exists today – and what is expected soon?

Fast charging today is mainly done at public DC stations, with a power of 150–250 kW. In practice, most electric vehicles can reach a charge of 10%–80% in 20–30 minutes. In particularly advanced models, it can even take less than 20 minutes.

350 kW charging stations already exist at a limited number of stations, but to achieve a charging time of just 4 minutes, chargers with a capacity of 500 kW or more are required, as well as batteries that support this without being damaged.

Tesla: The claim is similar to others 

Tesla is considered a world leader, but it has not yet reached the 4-minute speed. The company's Supercharger V3 is capable of charging most models (Model 3/Y) at 250 kW. The result: a 10% to 80% charge in about 25 minutes. The company introduced the 4680 battery – a leap forward in terms of performance, heat management and a decrease in cost per kilowatt-hour. The new battery shortens charging time and improves range, but it also does not cross the 5–10 minute mark.

Bottom line: Tesla leads in range and interface, but in the field of super-fast charging - it is still not the first.

BYD: The surprise coming from China

BYD, which this year became the world's largest electric vehicle manufacturer (including hybrid cars), recently introduced its new Blade battery in its next-generation version. The battery allows charging from 10% to 80% in just 15 minutes, with a driving range of about 700 km. The company is expected to begin mass production in the last quarter of 2025, and include it in leading models such as the Seal 07 or the new model in the Denza series.

Furthermore, BYD is building an independent charging network in China, with 480 kW fast charging stations – which brings it closer to the 4–5 minute line in real use.

Other companies leading the race

Israel's representative in the race is StoreDot with a 5-minute charge. It works, but not yet commercially. The intention was to reach the market by 2027. QuantumScape (USA) is developing solid-state batteries with a promise of 80% in 15 minutes. The battery life is extremely long, but it has postponed its previous launches several times. 

CATL from China has a new battery technology that charges 400 km in 10 minutes – being used initially by NIO and Zeekr.

Also, the Porsche-ChargeX collaboration claims to fully charge sports car batteries in less than 10 minutes.

And what is the situation in Israel?

In Israel, there are currently fast charging stations, mainly with capacities of 50–150 kW. The most advanced stations reach 350 kW – but they are rare, and are located at specific stations in industrial areas and at the entrances to cities.

Networks such as Afcon, Sonol-EVI, Electra EV, and EV-Edge are trying to expand the deployment, but currently, charging in less than 20 minutes is only relevant for a small portion of vehicles, in very limited places.

Either way, the goal of charging in 4 minutes no longer seems far-fetched. But in the short term, it will remain limited to expensive models, dedicated stations, and ideal conditions. For the average driver in Israel, a fundamental change will only come when faster batteries are also cheaper – and the appropriate stations are in every neighborhood, not just on the coastal road.

(Source: bizportal)

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