China's Largest Fuel Retailer Replaces Gas Pumps with 1,500 kW EV Chargers in Major Infrastructure Shift

At 1209 Huqingping Road in Shanghai, the underground gasoline tanks are gone. In their place sit massive banks of lithium-iron-phosphate batteries. Sinopec, China’s state-owned oil giant and largest fuel retailer, has completely gutted one of its traditional gas stations, ripping out the pumps to install a dedicated megawatt electric vehicle charging hub in partnership with automaker BYD.[1]

For a local driver pulling off the road near the bustling Hongqiao Transport Hub, the muscle memory remains exactly the same. They drive under the familiar canopy, park next to one of six T-shaped dispensers, and plug in an overhead cable. But instead of pumping unleaded fuel, the station delivers up to 1,500 kilowatts of electricity, capable of taking a compatible EV from a 10 percent charge to 70 percent in just five minutes.

The sheer speed of the hardware fundamentally changes the rhythm of a road trip or a daily commute. Pushing a battery to 97 percent capacity takes roughly nine minutes on BYD's second-generation Blade battery architecture, such as the packs found in the new Denza Z9 GT. Even in freezing winter conditions of minus 30 degrees Celsius, the total charging time only stretches to about 12 minutes.

This conversion represents a watershed moment for automotive infrastructure. For years, the primary hurdle to replacing neighborhood gas stations with ultra-fast EV chargers has been the local power grid. A single 1,500-kilowatt charger drawing directly from municipal lines would require a substation-grade connection, an upgrade that is prohibitively expensive and logistically impossible for most corner lots.[1]

BYD and Sinopec bypassed the grid bottleneck entirely by utilizing the empty space left by the excavated fuel tanks. Each of the station's chargers is backed by four BYD Blade battery packs, holding up to 185 kilowatt-hours of energy. These underground buffers slowly trickle-charge from the local grid at a modest 100 kilowatts, storing up power during quiet periods.

When a vehicle plugs in, the buffer batteries dump their stored energy into the car at megawatt speeds. This localized energy storage means a legacy gas station can offer ultra-fast charging without triggering a neighborhood blackout or requiring millions in utility upgrades. As an added benefit, the localized batteries keep the chargers operational even if the municipal grid goes down.[1]

The implications for property owners and fuel retailers are massive. Sinopec operates more than 30,000 service stations across China, serving roughly 20 million customers daily. By proving that existing forecourts can be retrofitted without grid overhauls, the oil giant is moving to protect its most valuable asset: prime real estate. Rather than watching EV drivers migrate to new charging hubs built on cheap land outside the city, Sinopec is cannibalizing its own fossil-fuel infrastructure to keep the foot traffic.[2]

For the everyday car buyer, this shift eliminates the compromises traditionally associated with EV ownership. The Shanghai station retains the traditional convenience store model, featuring a 24-hour unmanned 'Easy Joy' shop and a rest lounge equipped with reclining chairs and health monitors. Drivers can grab a coffee and check their vitals, and by the time they return to their vehicle, it is fully charged.

The Shanghai hub is the first physical manifestation of a broader strategic pact signed between BYD and Sinopec earlier this year. BYD, which has already deployed over 6,000 flash charging stations, aims to build 20,000 across China by the end of 2026. By tapping into Sinopec's vast network of existing, perfectly located neighborhood stations, the automaker can scale its megawatt charging ambitions at an unprecedented pace.[2]

The ripple effects of this partnership extend far beyond Shanghai. As legacy oil companies globally grapple with the transition to electric mobility, the Sinopec model proves that existing gas stations are not obsolete stranded assets, but rather the exact footprints needed for the next generation of fueling. For consumers, it means the neighborhood gas station isn't disappearing—it is simply changing what it pumps.[1]