BYD designed its latest Flash Charger to pump as much as 1,500kW into an EV. Nobody apparently considered children hanging from it.
A video from Nanning, Guangxi, showed two youngsters using the suspended charging cables as makeshift swings, feet off the ground as they rocked back and forth.
The Oct 2 clip spread across Chinese social media during the National Day holiday. CarNewsChina reported that adults were nearby filming the episode rather than stopping it.
BYD Flash Charging customer service later said playing on the equipment was prohibited and that station staff would be contacted to inspect the site.
The hardware involved is rather more serious than playground equipment. BYD’s latest Flash Charging system can deliver up to 1,500kW through a single connector, with the company aiming to install 20,000 chargers across China by the end of 2026.
Its overhead arrangement keeps the heavy liquid-cooled cable off the ground and makes the connector easier to handle.
As the Nanning episode demonstrated, it also creates something that can look suspiciously like a swing to an adventurous child.
The immediate lesson is less about charging speed than what happens when public infrastructure meets human ingenuity.
For charger designers, durability testing may need one more item on the checklist: children.
