- BYD launched the new Denza Z9GT in Europe. It’s the company’s first “Flash” charging EV in Europe.
- The sleek station wagon an recharge from 10%-80% in six-and-a-half minutes, and hit 97% in under 10 minutes.
- It costs 115,000 euros, more than a Porsche Taycan.
Last year, BYD shocked the world when it announced its megawatt-capable “Flash” charging system, which could substantially recharge its latest and greatest cars in mere minutes. In March, China’s EV juggernaut followed that up with the second generation of those chargers, plus a new, faster-charging version of its Blade battery. The result: Blazing-fast charging performance that puts to rest, once and for all, the notion that refueling an EV will never measure up to filling a gas tank.
Now that tech is making its way outside of China’s borders. On Wednesday at an event in Paris, BYD introduced its first vehicle capable of Flash charging to the European market. The new Denza Z9GT, a sporty station wagon from BYD’s premium brand, has charging times that put non-Chinese competitors to shame. But all that convenience doesn’t come cheap.
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Source: BYD
The Z9GT starts at 115,000 euros—about $135,000 at current exchange rates—and is available to configure now across several European countries. A Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo costs 107,500 euros, so Denza is trying to go toe-to-toe with some of Europe’s most trusted high-end brands. While Chinese cars may seem cheap in their home market—the Z9GT costs under $50,000 in China—those bargain-bin prices don’t hold when the cars are exported to countries with higher incomes, tariffs, and the like.
That six-figure outlay does buy you a whole lot, however. BYD says the Z9GT, equipped with its latest lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack, can recharge from 10%-70% in five minutes and from 10%-97% in nine minutes. Even at -30 degrees Celsius, an environment where EV charging tends to slow to a crawl, the Z9 can recharge from 20%-97% in 12 minutes.
These are astonishing figures, especially when compared to what is available in the United States. The norm for a 10%-80% charge here is 25-40 minutes. Some of the best performers, like the Taycan or Hyundai Ioniq 5, can manage that around 20 minutes. The Lucid Gravity, one of America’s quickest-charging cars, can charge at 400 kilowatts and add 200 miles of EPA-rated range in about 11 minutes.
It’s one thing to read the Z9GT’s numbers on a screen; it’s entirely different to actually watch the car’s battery level tick up at a previously unthinkable clip. BYD demonstrated the Denza’s charging performance at an event for European media this week. And according to one video from Felix Hamer (see above), the Z9GT nailed all of BYD’s big claims pretty much dead-on. Starting from a 10% state of charge, the wagon reached:
- 20% in 50 seconds
- 33% in 1 minute 50 seconds
- 40% in 2 minutes 30 seconds
- 50% in 3 minutes 18 seconds
- 60% in 4 minutes 20 seconds
- 70% in 5 minutes 20 seconds
- 80% in 6 minutes 32 seconds
- 90% in 8 minutes
- 95% in 9 minutes
- 97% in 9 minutes 22 seconds
At the start of the session, the EV recouped about 10% of its state of charge every 50 seconds. In the middle, it managed about 10% every minute. Charging tends to slow down considerably after 80%, to manage heat and adverse impacts to battery health. But the Denza kept chugging along at 90% and beyond. (In the same video, Hamer takes the Denza to a different charging station and is amazed that it maintains a 300 kW charging rate even at an 80% state of charge).
A BYD Yangwang U7 And Denza Z9 GT at one of the company’s new Flash charging stations.
Photo by: BYD
Remember that the Z9 GT has a large, 122.5-kilowatt-hour battery. So this five- or 10-minute stop should yield a significant amount of driving range. BYD says the souped-up tri-motor version will offer a 600-km (373-mile) WLTP range, and that a rear-wheel-drive variant will have 800 km (497 miles) of range. (For the Americans out there, remember that WLTP figures tend to be a bit higher than the EPA numbers we’re most familiar with.)
That ultra-quick charging is nothing without stations that can supply the necessary power. BYD plans to build out 3,000 Flash charging stations across Europe in the next 12 months, the company’s head of charging for the region told Automotive News.
The novel, T-shaped charging hardware suspends the bulky cables so they are easier to handle and can’t fall to the ground. The charging plug can also reach either side of a vehicle easily thanks to the design. The stations utilize both grid power and stationary storage batteries—also made up of LFP Blade cells—to deliver up to 1.5 MW through one cable. BYD says it has already installed 5,000 of the stations in China.
The European-spec Z9GT also claims a 2.7-second sprint to 62 mph. It has a refrigerated compartment for drinks. It has digital side-view mirrors. And it can swivel its rear end into a tight parking spot by spinning its back wheels in opposite directions. Those party tricks could help the Z9GT do battle with Porsche and the like. But Flash charging is its biggest differentiator.
Charging out in the wild is a top concern for EV buyers on the fence, especially those who can’t plug in at home. Ten-minute charging, even if it’s overkill for a person’s day-to-day, could go a long way toward calming those fears. And while the privilege may cost a lot now, history shows that the technology will probably trickle down over time.
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