Electric vehicles have consistently exceeded the 300-mile mark for years, but a new competitor has just taken range anxiety to a whole new level. BYD’s luxury brand Denza has unveiled an updated version of its Z9 GT EV, now claiming the title of longest-range battery-electric vehicle in the world.
According to BYD (via CarNewsChina), the refreshed Denza Z9 GT can travel up to 1,036 km on a single charge, which is about 644 miles, on the Chinese CLTC test cycle. That number puts it ahead of all mainstream production electric vehicles currently for sale, including long-range offerings from Tesla and other premium competitors.
The headline act comes from a huge 122.5kWh blade battery pack paired with BYD’s latest electric platform. Buyers continue to have multiple range options depending on configuration, with variants offering between 820km and 1,036km of claimed driving distance.
Why this is important for electric vehicle buyers right now
Located in the luxury performance segment, the Denza Z9 GT is designed as a high-end electric shooting brake that combines sports car style with grand touring comfort. The model will be available in both rear-wheel and all-wheel drive configurations and will continue to be offered alongside a plug-in hybrid variant for buyers who still want combustion backup.
What makes the announcement particularly interesting is the magnitude of the jump. The previous version of the Z9 GT offered a range of up to 630 km. The new model increases this value by approximately 64 percent, demonstrating how quickly battery technology and efficiency improvements are evolving.
There’s an even more interesting twist. Regulatory documents suggest that the corresponding Denza Z9 sedan could potentially achieve a range of 1,068 km, although this figure has not yet been officially marketed by the company. Regardless, the story remains that the electric vehicle range race is progressing faster than expected and the psychological barrier of a 1,000km electric car has now officially been broken.
