BYD Turns Home Chargers Into a Shared Resource

BYD has quietly rolled out a new feature in its official owner app that could change how everyday EV charging works, as first reported by CarNewsChina. The idea is simple but powerful. Owners with home charging stations can now share access with other BYD drivers living in the same residential community, turning private chargers into locally shared infrastructure.

Instead of relying solely on public fast chargers, neighbours can connect directly through the app, agree on charging times, and settle on pricing themselves after exchanging contact details. It is a peer to peer system that prioritises convenience over scale, keeping charging local, flexible and personal.

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How the System Works and Why Owners Benefit

For many EV owners, home chargers sit unused for long stretches during the day while they are at work or away. BYD’s system gives those chargers a second job, allowing owners to earn extra income while improving utilisation.

For drivers without a home charger, the benefits are just as clear. Charging within their own apartment complex or housing estate is closer, cheaper, and avoids the congestion and higher prices often associated with public fast charging stations.

Using the feature is straightforward:

• Open the BYD app and access the home charging service
• Set your residential community
• Browse available chargers nearby
• Connect with the owner and arrange charging directly

The model removes platform transaction fees and keeps electricity pricing closer to household rates rather than commercial tariffs.

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What This Could Mean for Australia

While BYD has not officially confirmed where this feature will be deployed next, the concept has strong potential in Australia, particularly in dense urban areas where apartment living is common and access to private chargers remains uneven.

Australia’s EV uptake is accelerating faster than public charging infrastructure in many suburbs. A community based sharing model could help bridge that gap without waiting years for large scale charger rollouts. It also aligns neatly with Australia’s growing interest in energy sharing, rooftop solar, and smarter electricity use.

If BYD brings this feature to Australia, it could:

• Reduce pressure on public fast charging networks
• Improve EV ownership viability for apartment dwellers
• Encourage smarter use of existing residential charging infrastructure

With brands like Nio and Xpeng already offering similar tools in their own ecosystems, shared home charging is shaping up as a quiet but meaningful shift in how EV charging scales globally. Australia may be a natural next step.