The Chinese have decided to combine the pleasant with the useful — or at least the fast with the fast. BYD and KFC China have signed a strategic cooperation agreement. The idea: to combine charging an electric car with a short snack, so that the car and the driver "refuel" simultaneously.
"Refueling" a person and a car in 9 minutes
The agreement, signed at BYD headquarters in Shenzhen, involves creating a "9-minute stop" ecosystem. The logic is sound: while you pick up your order and eat a burger, your electric car should be almost completely charged. The first device to feature the integrated KFC service will be the Fang Cheng Bao Ti7 SUV. Later, the function will be rolled out to the main BYD group models.
The system works through the onboard computer: the driver selects the dishes, pays for them, and books the pickup time using voice commands, without being distracted from the road. Navigation synchronizes with the restaurant kitchen: when the car approaches the Drive-thru point ("drive-thru window"), the system automatically sends a signal for the order to be hot and ready for pickup at the moment of arrival.
Photo: BYD
Technologies under the hood and in the parking lot
But the main focus is not on the menu, but on the speed of energy transfer. BYD integrates its ultra-fast charging terminals (flash charging) directly at KFC locations. Thanks to the second generation of Blade Battery batteries and new charging stations, electric cars can replenish energy from 10% to 97% in just 9 minutes.
Li Yunfei, general manager of the brand and public relations department at BYD, noted that the company has already deployed over 5,000 such stations across China. Future plans are even more ambitious: by the end of 2026, the network should expand to 20,000 points. This should make "fast charging" a basic infrastructure for daily life.
Photo: BYD
Why KFC
The choice of partner is not accidental. Although McDonald’s often dominates globally, the situation is different in China. KFC entered the market earlier and has twice as many locations as its main competitor, remaining the largest foreign fast-food chain in the country. For BYD, this is the perfect platform to showcase its technological prowess: if you can charge a car faster than you can wash your hands before lunch, then the problem of "long charging" is officially considered solved.
