- Updated Denza Z9 GT travels 644 miles on a single charge
- The hybrid version sees the battery capacity practically doubled
- BYD plans to introduce the Denza to the UK and Europe this year
BYD’s premium Denza brand is already taking China by storm, with its D9 minivan (or MPV) recording some 300,000 sales in less than three years, according to Car News China. And now it’s producing an electric vehicle with the longest range in the world, at least according to Denza.
Taking the best technology from the wider BYD Group and wrapping it in luxurious materials, the Denza sub-brand offers a number of models in China, including a mid-size SUV in the N7 and the stylish Denza Z9 and Z9 GT – a traditional luxury sedan and a stylish shooting wagon/fastback that comes in both pure electric and hybrid versions.
The Z9 GT has just received a refresh in its home market, with a new electrified powertrain that claims to achieve a CLTC-certified range of 1,036 km (644 miles) on a single charge. CLTC stands for “China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle” and is the national equivalent of the WLTP (or Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure).
Denza claims it is now the longest-range electric vehicle in the world, with an improvement in battery performance of around 64% compared to its predecessor.
The company says the update brings the option of two new battery packs, with 102 kWh and 122.5 kWh offered, offering CLTC ranges of 820 to 1,036 km (or 509 to 644 miles) respectively, according to Car News China.
Even the plug-in hybrid version has received a battery boost, with a new 63.82 kWh pack delivering an all-electric CLTC range of over 400 km (248 miles), almost double that of the current Denza Z9 GT PHEV’s 201 km (125 miles) and improving on some pure electric vehicles currently on sale.
If those huge range figures weren’t enough to whet the appetite, the Z9 GT has also been spied using BYD’s new flash charging infrastructure in China, made up of 1,500kW charging sockets capable of refilling batteries in minutes.
Currently, the Denza Z9 is only available in China, but the company plans to launch the sedan and fastback in the UK and Europe this year.
Analysis: big numbers, bold claims
It’s worth noting that China’s Light Vehicle Test Cycle, or CLTC, is a bit more generous than the WLTP tests, used across Europe, and the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) range estimation procedure used in the United States.
Denza’s estimates of 644 miles will be an absolute best-case scenario, and we all know that the range of electric vehicles decreases significantly depending on climate, weather, and how they are driven.
That said, even with a more realistic estimate, we can still assume that the Z9 GT and its recently refreshed sedan counterpart can travel between 380 and 450 miles, depending on conditions. This remains an extremely impressive figure.
In comparison, the Mercedes-Benz EQS has an official WLTP range of 481 miles, but we know it will be much less in reality, while the recently revealed Volvo EX60 claims it can travel more than 500 miles on the same test cycles.
Whether or not Denza’s high range figures make it a world leader, the capacity and efficiency alone mean customers will move towards the kind of real range that makes electric vehicles highly competitive with their internal combustion engine rivals.
To convince a sector of skeptics, automakers will need to prove that future electric vehicles require little or no compromise on the part of the buyer…and that includes driving about 400 miles in a single pass.
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