BYD, the large Chinese car maker, has a well-known surfeit of ambition. The company, originally born as a maker of batteries, has risen to the pinnacle of the global automotive stage, dethroning troubled Tesla as the world’s leading maker of electric cars.
BYD’s current line-up in Ireland spans the gamut from a very affordable small EV hatchback (that’s the Dolphin Surf) to the sleek Seal saloon and Sealion 7 SUV, electric models that can nibble at the edges of the premium brand market.
Well, forget nibbling – now BYD wants to take a large bite out of the global luxury car market, and it’s aiming to do that with its Denza sub-brand. Denza was originally created as a joint venture between BYD and Mercedes, although Merc cashed out a few years back. Now, it’s coming to Europe and its flagship will be the Z9 GT – an electric or hybrid (take your pick) fastback that rivals the likes of the Porsche Panamera, with design by former Audi stylist Wolfgang Eggers.
While Irish arrival dates haven’t yet been announced, the Denza brand will be coming here in the immediate future, which will present Irish premium car buyers with a quandary.
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Sure, such customers are firmly wedded to their BMWs, Audis and Mercs. But will they remain so wedded when presented with a 630km-range luxury EV that can be recharged in just five minutes?
Well, that’s the promise of BYD’s other new European strand – its remarkable Flash rapid chargers. The Chinese company is planning to roll out 6,000 of these ultra-fast charging points globally outside of China, with 3,000 earmarked for Europe.
They use BYD’s proprietary Blade battery tech (based on the more stable lithium-iron phosphate chemistry) to store power within the charging point for ultra-fast top-ups.
The claim is that the next-generation of BYD and Denza models will be able to charge in three stages: “Ready in five, full in nine, cold add three” – which means a 10-70 per cent recharge in just five minutes, 10-97 per cent in nine minutes and, even in -30 degrees winter weather, 20-97 per cent in just 12 minutes.
That’s damn near as fast as the Z9 GT’s 2.7-second 0-100km/h acceleration. While that could potentially be transformative tech, it’s still somewhat in the “maybe” pile – aside from a stagy demonstration at the recent China Auto show in Beijing, BYD still hasn’t shown us one of these Flash chargers working in the wild, with imperfect power grids, cold weather and all.
If, after all that, you’re thinking “I’m still not ready to go electric just yet”, then there’s also a plug-in hybrid range extender Z9, which uses a 2.0-litre petrol engine to top up a 28.5kWh battery as you drive, powering the same three electric motors as the EV version (which uses a 100kWh battery pack).
Inside the Z9 comes with a screen-heavy (even the door mirrors use digital screens) cabin swathed in leather, and which is notably roomy and can be flooded with sound thanks to a 20-speaker Devlialet audio system.
The new Z9 even comes with star-studded approval – no less than Daniel Craig has been recruited as a global ambassador for Denza.
Stella Li, BYD’s executive vice president, said: “’Technology drives elegance’; it is Denza’s definition of the new premium – where advanced technology, seamlessly integrated into daily life, creates a cleaner, simpler and more delightful ownership experience. Behind this philosophy stands the strength of 120,000 engineers across BYD, always pushing the boundaries of what is possible. We believe that this is the time for people worldwide to be inspired by technology, and Denza is uniquely placed to deliver that.”
When will the brand come to Ireland? That’s TBC still, but it shouldn’t be long now. Denza officials say that the initial European roll-out will be focused on Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the UK, but that “the brand will spread quickly across the continent, with a presence planned in at least 30 countries by the end of the year”.
Other models will include the D9 DMi – a super-luxury MPV with club-class-style seats inside and even a built-in karaoke system (we’ve tried this – our Britney Spears rendition was magnificent) as well as the B5, a chunky Land Rover and Land Cruiser rival sold in China under BYD’s Fengchangbao brand.
The arrival of Denza in Europe comes just as BYD is extending the warranty for its vehicle batteries. It will now offer a battery warranty for up to 250,000km, or eight years, whichever ticks over sooner.
That’s a substantial increase. Most electric car makers only warranty their batteries for up to 160,000km over the same period. BYD had, until now, beaten that figure by offering a 200,000km warranty for its Blade batteries, which, almost uniquely in the car world, are made in-house. The extension to 250,000km might just break down a few barriers for Irish car buyers who are still concerned about the potential expense of having to replace an electric car’s battery.
It’s not the most generous of battery warranties around. Toyota offers a battery warranty of up to ten years and one million kilometres, as long as you bring your Toyota EV back to a Toyota dealer for an annual service. However, the BYD warranty is generous as it’s also retrospective – it’s applicable to existing cars as well as new purchases.
BYD’s “Blade” batteries are different from those offered by most other car makers. They have a chemical make-up called LFP, which stands for lithium-iron phosphate. This internal chemical mixture, contained in the battery cells, is known to be less energy-efficient than the NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt) mixture used by most other car makers, but it’s also far more robust, long-lived, less prone to wearing out through fast charging and far safer in the event of an accident.
Indeed, BYD claims that its Blade batteries have been lab-tested for as many as 3,000 full power cycles (that’s a full charge followed by a full drain), which the car maker says is equivalent to 1.2-million kilometres of driving.
The warranty covers manufacturing faults and component failures, and also guarantees that within that time and mileage limit, the battery will not fall below 70 per cent of its original charging capacity. For the BYD Seal Design saloon, with its 570km range, that 70 per cent figure would still give you a range of 399km.
BYD’s new battery plans go further than improvements in warranty cover, though. The company actually began life in 1995 as a battery maker, and didn’t diversify into making cars until 2005. That battery expertise is now available to Irish buyers without wheels attached, as MDL – Motor Distributors Limited, the long-serving car importer which is BYD’s Irish franchisee - has now branched out into the home battery energy business, trading as MDL Energy Ireland.
The batteries on offer range from compact 6.4kWh home units, with attendant solar panels, all the way up to one-megawatt set-ups designed for big industrial installations.
Rob O’Hara, director at MDL, told The Irish Times: “All these systems are easy to scale, so the HVE residential type battery is modular, meaning you can add a further 4.2kWh battery at a later date, and you can continue to add until you reach 23.5kWh, and then you add another tower or other BYD Battery that starts with a higher capacity.”
According to O’Hara, BYD’s new products can help Irish buyers lower their energy bills. “The residential system can save costs by managing and predicting the energy usage in the home, which includes solar power generation and managing peak and off-peak tariffs. It can also support the home if there’s a shortage of energy,” O’Hara said.
Prices for the home systems start from €8,700, including the 6.4kWh battery and solar panels with an inverter to manage the electric current generated.
Commercial systems are priced on a “bespoke” basis, as each installation is effectively unique.
MDL Energy estimates that for most domestic installations, they can be up and running within one month from the time of order, and homeowners can be guided through the process, including any potential electrical upgrades needed before installation.
