BYD, the Chinese giant that wants to dominate the world’s electrified vehicle sales charts, is now boasting that it makes the longest-range EV on the globe. The Denza Z9S is a four-door sedan that starts from the equivalent of just $47,100 in China, yet it delivers a maximum driving range of 683 miles on a full charge, according to its maker.
That’s a huge number, and it prompted Li Hui, Denza’s general manager, to say that it’s “not meant to be remembered, but to be forgotten,” because the car can drive for such long distances that owners might forget to plug it in.
The car itself is quite impressive for the price, offering a 102.3-kilowatt-hour lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery pack on all versions, ultra-fast charging capabilities, a roof-mounted Lidar sensor for advanced driver assistance systems, and up to three electric motors.
View Price on AmazonThe Denza Z9S makes use of BYD’s second-generation Blade battery, which has made headlines since its debut for its blisteringly fast charging speeds, with just five minutes needed to go from 10-to-70%. Meanwhile, a 10-to-97% session should take just nine minutes, which, together with the vast driving range, makes gas cars pretty much irrelevant.
Getting back to the range, Denza will offer three versions of the Z9S: one that can go 484 miles, one that’s good for 571 miles, and the top-tier 683-mile version. However, as impressive as these numbers may be, they’re all based on China’s rather lenient CLTC procedure, which favors more low-speed driving than high-speed cruising.
In the U.S., the longest-range Denza Z9S would probably have an EPA-estimated range of around 480 miles. That’s still impressive, but it’s not quite the all-time best out there, a title that still goes to the American-made Lucid Air Grand Touring, which has an EPA-estimated 512 miles of range. On the CLTC cycle, the Air would likely be rated for approximately 730 miles.
BYD’s Denza Z9S gets a single electric motor in the base version, which is rated at 496 horsepower, while the fanciest models get a tri-motor setup that’s good for a whopping 1,193 horsepower.
As is the case with most tech-forward Chinese EVs, the interior features plenty of screen real estate. What’s more, the sedan features standard rear-wheel steering, a trick air body control system, and BYD’s God’s Eye 5.0 assisted driving system.
Source: insideevs.com
