Li Hui, general manager of BYD's premium brand Tengshi, stated that the company is technically ready to offer customers fully electric models with a range of 1200 or even 1300 km on the Chinese CLTC cycle, should such a demand arise in the market.
Currently, the flagship Tengshi Z9S sedan in its top version with a battery capacity of 122 kWh already demonstrates 1100 km on CLTC — one of the highest figures among production electric vehicles. The model went on sale on 23 September 2026 at a price starting from 255 800 yuan. According to Li Hui, 1100 km is not the platform's limit, and any further increase in range depends solely on the real needs of owners.
Such records are underpinned by the second generation of BYD's proprietary lithium iron phosphate Blade batteries. They combine high energy density with ultra-fast charging capability and remain safe even when damaged. Production of these batteries is being gradually ramped up to meet the growing demand for "long-range" versions.
For buyers in China, where distances between cities are vast and the charging infrastructure is not yet ideal everywhere, the extra range alleviates the "range anxiety" of not making it. At the same time, engineers emphasise that they do not plan to increase battery capacity merely for the sake of numbers in the specifications — a balance of weight, cost and real-world efficiency matters more.
Notably, Tengshi is not the only player experimenting with "thousand-kilometre" electric vehicles: other Chinese manufacturers are setting similar goals. However, it is BYD, with its vertical integration and control over batteries, that is capable of bringing such projects into series production faster than others.
Ultimately, the decision on launching versions with 1200–1300 km will be made only after analysing feedback from owners of the Z9S and similar models — a pragmatic approach that has more than once helped the company remain a market leader.
