Electric vehicles have been steadily pushing past the 300-mile milestone for years, but a new contender 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, and it now claims the title of the world’s longest-range battery electric vehicle.
According to BYD (via CarNewsChina), the refreshed Denza Z9 GT can travel up to 1,036 km on a single charge under China’s CLTC testing cycle, which translates to roughly 644 miles. That figure puts it ahead of every mainstream production EV currently on sale, including long-range offerings from Tesla and other premium rivals.
The headline number comes from a massive 122.5 kWh Blade battery pack paired with BYD’s latest electric platform. Buyers will still have multiple range options depending on configuration, with variants offering between 820 km and 1,036 km of claimed driving distance.
Why this matters for EV buyers right now
The Denza Z9 GT sits in the luxury performance segment and is designed as a high-end electric shooting brake, blending sports car styling with grand touring comfort. The model will be available in both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations, and it continues to be offered alongside a plug-in hybrid variant for buyers who still want a combustion backup.
What makes the announcement especially interesting is the scale of the jump. The previous version of the Z9 GT offered up to 630 km of range. The new model increases that by roughly 64 percent, highlighting how quickly battery technology and efficiency improvements are evolving.
There is an even more intriguing twist. Regulatory filings suggest the related Denza Z9 sedan could potentially reach 1,068 km of range, although that figure has not yet been officially marketed by the company. Regardless, the story remains that the EV range race is accelerating faster than expected, and the psychological barrier of a 1,000 km electric car is now officially broken.
