A new Chinese car brand has confirmed it will bring its first electric vehicle to the UK this year - and it can charge in the same time it takes to fill up a conventional petrol or diesel car.
Denza has revealed its new flagship GT model, which will be the first in Europe to be compatible with its parent company BYD's radical Flash Charging technology.
The Denza Z9GT will make its European debut next month and be able to charge at speeds up to 1,500kW - charging the battery from 10 to 70 per cent in just five minutes.
BYD - the world's biggest EV seller after recently overtaking Tesla - says the EV can undergo a near full charge (10 to 97 per cent) in only nine minutes.
The incredible charging times are thanks to the Z9GT using BYD's 122kWh Blade Battery 2.0, which is the only advanced unit that can fully extract charging speeds from the devices.
BYD has already said it intends to install hundreds of Flash Chargers in the UK this year, which are three times faster than the most powerful EV chargers currently available.
The Chinese giant already has 4,239 Flash Charging stations in its home country, with another 16,000 installations forecast for 2026.
It will start installing Flash Chargers across Europe this summer.
Denza, a sub brand of BYD, has announced that its new Z9GT will be the first model in Europe to be able 'Flash Charge' delivering a recharge time of 5 minutes from 10 to 70%
The Z9GT is a 'shooting brake' Grand Tourer with a claimed range of 497 miles in the rear-wheel-drive edition.
A tri-motor version will also be available with over 947bhp and a zero to 62mph time of less than three seconds.
The Z9GT will not only be the first BYD model in Europe to Flash Charge, but it will also feature European-influenced design and a platform bespoke to the Denza brand.
The second generation of the firm's Blade Battery retains the advantages of its lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry but uses gains in ion transport increase energy density and also the ability to recharge faster at a wider range of temperatures.
It too should provide reduced levels of degradation, which should deliver improved confidence for used buyers.
It will start installing Flash Chargers across Europe this summer
Inside, the Z9GT will be the first European vehicle offering what BYD calls 'an opera-house entertainment experience'.
It uses a bespoke speaker setup with French audio partner Devialet that features Dolby Atmos to place sounds precisely around the cabin.
'The resulting immersion unlocks new levels of emotion and turns the Z9GT into an entertainment space that brings consumers closer to the content they love,' the car maker said.
Stella Li, BYD executive vice president, said: '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."
The grand reveal of the EV will take place at the official launch event in Paris's Palais Garnier on 8 April.
Prices are yet to be confirmed.
BYD has confirmed it will install around 300 of these Flash Charging points across the UK in 2026
BYD UK bosses have confirmed that up to 300 Flash Charger devices will be installed across the UK this year.
These are single charging units - like Tesla Superchargers - that will be provided across locations where demand is highest.
But more advanced setups are on the horizon.
This week, BYD unveiled its new Flash Charging 'station', which can be deployed at forecourts laid out similar to conventional petrol stations.
Instead of traditional fuel pumps, they have T-shaped structures each with two connectors that can service multiple vehicles at a time. They too can be standalone charging solutions for two vehicles.
Each forecourt will have a number of 1.5 megawatt Flash Charging structures, each using 1,500 amps of current and a 1,000-volt base architecture.
Enormous mega-watt on-site batteries will provide much of the electricity, rather than being a drain on the grid.