Just ahead of the G20 Leaders Summit in Hangzhou, 50 fully electric Denza cars have started serving as official vehicles, and in their own small way contributing to the blue skies in the ancient city in Zhejiang province.

The Sino-German joint venture, Shenzhen BYD Daimler New Technology Co Ltd, will provide the fully electric official transportation to the government heads and various senior officials, during the summit to be held in the city on Sept 4 and 5.

"As China's leading high-end, fully electric mobility brand, our peerless new Denza model is capable of providing safe and comfortable rides to the summit participants," said Lorraine Yan, CEO of BYD Daimler New Technology.

The new Denza fleet was handed over to the summit organizing committee on July 27, and are now in use. Another new Denza fleet will provide chaufeured car service free of charge to Hangzhou citizens from Aug 10 to Sept 17. "Denza strives not only to make first-class EVs, but also to bring a top-of-the-line EV commuting experience to our customers," Yan said.

Yan was also proud that Denza had received widespread recognition and praise while providing service at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the New Champions of the World Economic Forum, also known as the Summer Davos, in Dalian.

Jointly established by Daimler AG and BYD Auto in 2010 in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, BYD Daimler New Technology launched the Denza brand as China's first auto brand dedicated exclusively to new energy vehicles.

The electric carmaker is engaged in research and development of electric vehicle technology with the aim of developing new energy vehicles that can deliver environmental protection, energy savings, safety and comfort, and superior quality at the same time.

"The Denza people possess a spirit of craftsmanship and a commitment to green technology that helps them create EV masterpieces," Yan said. "We focus on customers' needs, so we can make the new and dynamic Denza lifestyle that customers want."

The Denza 400, to be launched nationwide this month, has extended its driving range to a class-leading 400 kilometers between charges, after upgrading its battery capacity to 62 kilowatt-hours from the earlier model's 47.5 kWh. With the typical daily trip ranging from 50 to 80 km, that means an owner usually needs only one full charge a week.

The upgrades also shortened the 0-100 km/h acceleration time by 25 percent, produced a smoother ride with less vibration, and made thye handling more precise.

The company's public charging network is undergoing further expansion, to reach 650 exclusive public charging spots all over China by the end of 2016. These will be in addition to current locations at large shopping malls, hotels, office buildings, airports and other transport hubs in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

A Denza team is running the 80eDays challenge as the only China participant to finish the more than 250,000 km trip around the world. The Denza has proved itself by completing the journey without encountering quality problems.

Among all the fully electric car models in China, the Denza was the first one received five stars in the China-New Car Assessment Program, thanks to the safety technology that originated from Daimler's high standards and strategies.

"Denza inherited a perfect combination of Daimler's 130-year foundation with car manufacturing and advanced safety technology with BYD's world-leading battery technology," Yan said.

Before meeting its customers, the model went through extensive tests for 18 months, in varied extreme situations including intense heating and freezing weather, and on dusty and icy road surfaces. It traveled more than 1.2 million km under close monitoring and rigid supervision.

The Denza is covered by an eight-year or 150,000-km warranty for the battery and key parts, providing consumers with carefree after-sales service. The Denza model realized a sales volume of 2,958 units last year, which means it ranked No 1 in the high-end fully electric car market in China.

(China Daily 09/01/2016 page15)