BYD launches the Denza Z9 GT EV in Europe and the UK at over 3X the price

This story is about a car far outside typical home-energy territory, but here's the news in brief. BYD, the Chinese electric vehicle maker, has launched its luxury Denza Z9 GT in Europe and the UK at more than three times the price it sells for in China. In the UK it starts at £105,000 for the fully electric version, and in Germany and France it starts around €115,000. In China, the same car starts at roughly $39,300.

The car is notable for very fast charging, using what BYD calls Flash Charging technology paired with a new battery design. BYD says it can go from 10 percent to 70 percent charge in about 5 minutes, and up to 97 percent in 9 minutes, with only a small time penalty in very cold weather. Range in Europe is rated at up to 372 miles on the WLTP test standard, well below the nearly 650 miles claimed on China's CLTC standard. The electric version has three motors producing a combined 1,140 horsepower.

None of this involves home charging equipment, incentives, or rebates, and there's nothing here that affects household energy planning. It's simply a sign that fast-charging EV technology is advancing and that Chinese automakers are testing how much European and UK buyers will pay for it compared with established luxury brands like Porsche.