BYD shows a robot arm that plugs in an electric car's charger without the driver

BYD has shown a robotic charging system in which a robot arm opens a car's charging flap, plugs in the connector and removes it when charging ends, so the driver does not have to get out. In the demonstration, a compatible car parked itself in the charging bay on a single command before the arm took over.

The arm uses image recognition to find the charging port and force feedback to control how hard it pushes the plug in. BYD says the system supports several charging connector standards used in different countries. The station shown in the United Arab Emirates combined solar panels, energy storage and high-power charging, and reached 1,000 kW.

BYD has not said when the robot arm system will go on sale or at which stations it will be used.