Marco Polo’s journey is back, although this time without camels, caravans or, hopefully, too many sore feet. DENZA, the premium technology brand from the BYD Group, is playing a central role in the Marco Polo Drive of Peace, a 43-day, 15,000 km journey from Rome to Hong Kong inspired by the legendary Venetian traveller’s route more than 750 years ago. The trip was launched in Rome at the historic Palazzo Orsini Taverna, with a ceremony focused on peace, culture, sustainability and electric mobility. Stella Li, Executive Vice President of BYD and one of the key figures behind the group’s international expansion, also attended the launch ceremony in Rome.
The initiative was created by Patrick Zhong and Professor Jeffrey Sachs, with a route that will pass through Vatican City, Italy, Croatia, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and China before reaching Hong Kong. The idea is not only to prove what modern electric cars can do, but also to turn the journey into a moving platform for conversations about culture, innovation and sustainable development. Think of it as an international conference on wheels, but with much better acceleration and fewer airport coffees.
The car leading the journey is the DENZA Z9GT, a premium electric shooting brake designed to combine comfort, long-distance ability and serious performance. The all-electric version uses three motors, delivers 850 kW of total output and is powered by a 122.49 kWh second-generation Blade Battery, offering up to 600 km of WLTP range. It can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.7 seconds and reach 270 km/h. Marco Polo took years to reach Asia, but to be fair, he probably did not have launch control.
One of the key technologies behind the trip is FLASH Charging, which promises charging times close to a traditional fuel stop: from 10% to 70% in 5 minutes and from 10% to 97% in 9 minutes, with stable performance even in extreme cold. DENZA also inaugurated Italy’s first FLASH Charging station in Bologna to support the initiative. The Z9GT adds rear-wheel independent steering, DiSus-A air suspension, Cell-to-Body integration, advanced Vehicle Motion Control, large interior screens, an intelligent assistant and Vehicle-to-Load capability. In other words, it can cross continents, park in difficult spaces, power a coffee machine and work as a mobile office. Not bad for a modern reinterpretation of the Silk Road.
Source: BYD