Elon Musk’s politicking damages his electric vehicle brand, but the underlying problem is its relatively old line-up of models, even as Chinese competitors change the game.

Chinese automaker BYD continues to leave Tesla in the dust. The company introduced a new battery system on Monday that it claims can charge an electric vehicle in just five minutes, about the same time it takes to refuel a traditional car.

Shares of China’s BYD, an automobile manufacturer, soared on Tuesday after the company unveiled a new “Super e-Platform” technology

Elon Musk, the company’s chief executive, is fast losing out to Chinese electric carmakers in Tesla’s second-most-important market.

Tesla stock has been hit hard in recent months as CEO Elon Musk’s political involvement becomes a distraction, experts say. Sales of electric vehicles are down sharply in key markets like Europe and China.

Tesla raised the Model Y Long range price but left the base variant steady and offered cheap financing. EV registrations rose modestly. Tesla stock fell.