Denza claims phenomenal Z9GT charge time

European debut next month for swish EV wagon; for now, consider 1,500kW and five minute charges...

By Matt Bird / Friday, 13 March 2026 / Loading comments

Plenty of us have endured our fair share of painful public charging experiences. Slower than advertised for no apparent reason, even more expensive than feared, requiring a stupid app in a data black hole… it’s all too familiar. While combustion cars fill up in five minutes at the pumps next door and carry on their journey. Probably spending the same sort of money as well. Well now Denza - BYD’s luxury offshoot - reckons it has a solution with its upcoming Z9GT. It’ll be officially launched in Europe next month, but for now some staggering charging times are being claimed.

Flash Charging is the phrase, thanks to BYD’s second generation Blade Battery. When hooked up to a BYD charging station, Denza reckons a Z9GT can replenish at up to 1,500kW. In a world where 300kW is a pretty good score, that’s astonishing. It means unheard of charge times, the sort of thing that’s comparable to combustion: 10 to 70 per cent in five minutes, 10 to 97 per cent in nine minutes, and 20 to 97 per cent in 12 minutes if it’s minus 30 outside. Incredible. This is a big battery we’re talking about here, too, at 122kWh, meaning up to 500 miles of range. So 10 per cent (call it 50, for ease) to 70 per cent (350) in five minutes sounds pretty game changing, Yes, it’s a manufacturer claim for now and needs verification, plus it needs this very special charger and connector, but as charging speeds have only been climbing incrementally, this looks like a huge leap forward for Denza. Make your own guess now at what the cost per kilowatt hour might be…

The Blade Battery itself is made from lithium iron phosphate; Denza says that gains ‘in ion transport have not only increased energy density but also the ability to recharge faster at a wider range of temperatures, and with reduced levels of degradation.’ That last point is important given that it’s rapid charging that does the most harm to battery health. A lifetime of being buzzed at 150kW isn’t typically regarded as brilliant for an EV, let alone 10 times that. Still, BYD now sells more EVs than Tesla, so if any company is likely to have figured that conundrum out, they would have to be one of the contenders.

As for the car itself, expect to hear a lot more about the Z9GT over the coming weeks and months. Not only is it quite a handsome shooting brake, it sits on a Denza-specific e3 platform (i.e. not just rejigged BYD SUV architecture) and boasts up to 960hp in the tri-motor variant. There’s also an audio setup developed with Devialet (the same company that’s recently worked with Alpine). BYD’s Exec Vice Pres, Stella Li, said: “The introduction of the Denza Z9GT in Europe marks a very important milestone for our brand. The Z9GT represents the true spirit of Denza — where advanced technology, beautiful design and emotional driving come together… It's the perfect choice to introduce the principle of 'Ready in 5, Full in 9, Cold Add 3' to the world, as we start our global rollout of Flash Charging in Europe. The ability to add hundreds of kilometres of range in just minutes, even in extremely low temperatures, means the Z9GT perfectly reflects our vision for Denza: technology that inspires, performance that excites and elegance that defines the future of premium mobility." Consider us more than a little intrigued. Full details to follow on April 8th.