Denza N8L EV: launch date, battery and range
Denza will launch an all-electric N8L in September with a 208-liter powered frunk. MIIT filings already show a 130.15 kWh battery good for 960 km CLTC.
Denza will launch a fully electric version of the N8L in September. General manager Li Hui confirmed the timing and revealed one of the large six-seat SUV's more unusual features — a power-operated 208-liter frunk. It has a drain with a cover, so the compartment can be used for muddy camping gear or beach items and then rinsed out with water.
The official announcement stops short of the main details: price, battery, power and range for the electric version. But some of that data already surfaced earlier in Chinese certification filings. According to information based on MIIT documents, the extended N8L EV uses a lithium iron phosphate battery with a capacity of 130.15 kWh and can travel up to 960 km on the CLTC cycle. Dimensions come in at 5,200x1,999x1,820 mm, with a 3,075 mm wheelbase.
That reframes the story considerably. This isn't simply a conversion of the current hybrid into an EV. Regulatory filings had earlier revealed single-motor versions for the N8/N8L family rated at 320 and 370 kW — roughly 435 and 503 hp — along with a tri-motor setup at 890 kW, or around 1,210 hp. Denza hasn't confirmed which variants the production N8L EV will actually get, so it's too early to tie that peak output to a specific September configuration.
The new electric N8/N8L family's first data points were covered earlier: regulators revealed a tri-motor version and the differences between the five-seat N8 and six-seat N8L. Back then the launch timing was still unknown. Now there's a concrete date — September.
The current N8L sells in China as a plug-in hybrid. Its flash-charging version has a 75.26 kWh battery, does up to 430 km on electric power alone (CLTC), and supports 10-97% charging in a claimed 9 minutes. Pricing starts at 319,800 yuan — roughly $44,900 at current exchange rates.
But those 9 minutes can't simply be carried over to the N8L EV: BYD hasn't confirmed whether its newest flash-charging system will be used, and Denza hasn't named specs for the electric version yet. Charging speed, alongside price, remains the model's biggest unknown.
The N8L is already familiar to audiences as a large six-seat SUV: its hybrid version with a 2+2+2 layout was shown in Beijing in April. The electric variant keeps the same basic dimensions but frees up space under the hood — hence the unusually large 208-liter frunk.
If the production version really does hold on to that certified 960 km CLTC figure, the key question at launch won't be the rated range but how much of it survives in tougher real-world conditions, and how quickly that 130.15 kWh battery can top back up.