BYD officially launched a 4,244-kilometer cross-China driving event for its BYD Song Ultra EV on May 16, with a convoy departing from Lianyungang in eastern China and traveling toward Khorgos on the Kazakhstan border along the G30 Lianhuo Expressway, according to Y-Auto, News.Az reports, citing CarNewsChina.com.

The event is intended to serve as a large-scale long-distance test of BYD’s expanding flash-charging network as well as the Song Ultra EV’s endurance and travel capabilities over extended routes.

The journey spans six Chinese provinces and includes a variety of driving conditions such as highways, desert stretches, Gobi terrain and rural roads.

During the launch ceremony, Wang Jiabin, regional director of BYD Dynasty Network’s Suzhou-Shanghai division, said the Song Ultra EV is capable of achieving “a good charge in five minutes and near full charge in nine minutes” using BYD’s flash-charging technology.

BYD also stated that the entire section of the G30 Lianhuo Expressway used for the drive already has complete flash-charging coverage.

The automaker introduced the Song Ultra EV in the Chinese market in March with a starting price of 149,800 yuan, or about $21,900. The electric SUV offers a driving range of up to 710 kilometers under the CLTC standard and supports nine-minute rapid charging.

The convoy is expected to travel through several well-known historical and tourist destinations during the route, including the Shaolin Temple, Qingming Riverside Landscape Garden, Datang Everbright City, Zhangye Danxia, Jiayuguan and the Flaming Mountains.

According to BYD, the test drive will evaluate the stability of its charging systems in high-temperature environments, the reliability of charging infrastructure coverage, range performance and overall vehicle operation across different climates and road conditions.

The company also highlighted several technological features of the Song Ultra EV during the presentation, including its DiSus-C intelligent damping body control system, intelligent anti-motion sickness functions and VTOL external power supply technology.

The Song Ultra EV is positioned as a large five-seat electric SUV and is equipped with BYD’s DiLink 150 intelligent cockpit system.

BYD said the model recorded 21,586 pre-sale orders before its official launch and accumulated 61,240 orders during its first month on the market.

Separately, data from China EV DataTracker showed that BYD’s domestic sales totaled 149,606 vehicles in April 2026, marking a 38.5% year-on-year decline. The company held a 10.7% share of China’s automotive market during the month.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev