China’s 5-Minute EV Charging Is a Game-Changer

On April 23, 2025, the Wall Street Journal reported that CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd.) and BYD, China’s battery and EV giants, have independently announced near-simultaneous breakthroughs that slash EV charging time to levels comparable to refueling a traditional gasoline car.

In a stunning leap forward for electric vehicle (EV) technology, two of China’s leading battery developers have unveiled charging systems that can power an EV in just five minutes—a benchmark once thought years away. It’s a development that not only pushes the boundaries of what’s technically possible but also carries profound geopolitical implications.

CATL’s new battery tech can deliver up to 320 miles of range with a five-minute charge. BYD, meanwhile, promises 250 miles of range in the same amount of time. Both companies have developed these technologies using lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery chemistry—a more cost-effective and stable alternative to the nickel-and-cobalt-based cells commonly used in the West.

But there’s a catch: this level of performance requires superfast charging infrastructure that doesn’t yet exist at scale—even in China. However, the potential is staggering. The U.S., by comparison, remains very far behind with just over 230,000 public and private charging points versus China’s reported 13 million.

The Bigger Picture: Technology Meets Geopolitics

This technological feat is the latest in a series of advances that underline China’s leadership of the global tech race. From AI to semiconductors to EVs, China has been steadily building its dominance, many years ahead of the West in practical deployment on all fronts.

While the U.S. government, under the current and previous administrations, has tried to rein in China’s influence through tariffs and export restrictions, China’s homegrown innovations are proving difficult to stop. U.S. tariffs on Chinese EVs now reach a staggering 145%, making these breakthroughs unlikely to benefit American consumers anytime soon. Reputable economists agree that tariffs only raise prices for consumers.

On April 3, 2025, leading economic publication the Economist said about the tariffs, that the President “announced the biggest break in America’s trade policy in over a century—and committed the most profound, harmful and unnecessary economic error in the modern era.”

Still, amid the turmoil, there are signs of collaboration. Ford is building a U.S.-based battery plant using CATL’s tech, a rare partnership that acknowledges the unavoidable lead China holds in battery science.

Scaling Up, Going Global

Even as CATL and BYD push the boundaries of EV charging, key challenges remain. China is building thousands of new high-speed charging stations, but rollout takes time. Ultra-fast charging can degrade battery life, and the tech won’t be cheap—at least not at first. For now, BYD’s new chargers work only with two of its vehicle models, meaning that widespread availability is likely years away.

On another front, CATL also announced a sodium-ion battery this week—potentially a game-changer for global battery supply chains. Made from common materials like soda ash, sodium-ion cells could reduce dependency on lithium, which is scarce and geopolitically sensitive.

The EV Future Is (Mostly) Made in China

As more Chinese consumers embrace EVs—52% of all new passenger cars sold in China last month were electric or plug-in hybrids—China is doubling down on its early lead. In the United States, EVs now make up 7.5% of all new-vehicle sales in the first quarter of 2025, up from 7% a year earlier. According to Cox Automotive, nearly 300,000 EVs were sold in Q1, an 11.4% increase compared to Q1 of last year.

Western automakers and governments now face a stark choice: accelerate innovation and infrastructure NOW, or risk being permanently left behind.

With battery breakthroughs like these, it’s clear: the race for the future of mobility is no longer about if—it’s about how fast.

Why US Government EV and EV Charging Support is Essential

The future of transportation is electric. But whether the U.S. leads, follows, or falls behind in that future will depend heavily on how much support the government throws behind the electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem—now.

While EV adoption is accelerating globally, countries like China have surged ahead, building extensive charging infrastructure and nurturing battery tech giants that now dominate global markets. Meanwhile, the U.S. finds itself at a pivotal crossroads. Strong federal and state-level action could ensure the U.S. stays competitive and energy-resilient. Without it, we risk being outpaced in one of the most transformative shifts in modern mobility.

EVs are only as convenient as the ability to charge them. Today, the U.S. has around 230,000 public and private EV charging points, compared to 13 million in China. That’s a massive gap. To make EVs a real alternative for all Americans—not just city dwellers or early adopters—we need coast-to-coast charging stations, including in rural areas and along highways. This requires federal investment and coordination, not just private investment.

Automakers are ramping up EV production, but infrastructure and battery production often lag behind. Ford, GM, and others are investing billions—but they can’t do it alone. Public-private partnerships, like those enabled by the Inflation Reduction Act, help de-risk these ventures and push innovation forward faster.

If the U.S. is serious about reducing greenhouse gas emissions and meeting its climate goals, widespread EV adoption is a must. Transportation is the largest source of emissions in the country. Supporting EVs—alongside clean electricity to power them—is one of the most impactful ways to make progress.

Fewer gas-powered cars mean less dependence on oil—especially foreign oil. That’s not just an environmental issue; it’s a security one. And as battery materials like lithium become more strategically important, the U.S. needs to build its own supply chains and battery tech to avoid becoming dependent on overseas suppliers, especially China.

The EV revolution is an economic opportunity. Building chargers, battery plants, and EVs means new American jobs—many of them high-skill and high-wage. States that invest early are already seeing the benefits in manufacturing booms and tech innovation hubs.

America Can Lead—But We Have to Move Fast

Right now, the race is on. China’s two battery giants, CATL and BYD, are already producing EV batteries that can charge in just five minutes—a milestone the U.S. is still working toward. If we want to remain competitive, we need to think big.

The U.S. must also ramp up domestic battery production, not only to support growing demand but to reduce dependence on foreign supply chains. That effort must go hand in hand with deeper investments in research and development—especially in emerging technologies like sodium-ion batteries, which offer an alternative to lithium and could shift the balance of battery production.

And finally, we need to make it easier and faster to get charging stations up and running. That requires streamlining permitting processes and improving how EV infrastructure connects to the grid. Every delay is a missed opportunity, and time is something the U.S. can no longer afford to waste in this race.