BYD Auto Co., Ltd was established in 2003 and is a subsidiary of BYD Company Limited, a publicly listed Chinese conglomerate headquartered in Shenzhen, China. BYD Company Limited is vertically integrated and active across a number of sectors. Though BYD is not an automotive brand widely recognised in our market to date, expect brand awareness and recognition to grown rapidly, given the accelerated rise in the prominence of Chinese electric car companies globally. Interestingly, BYD pure electric buses have been prevalent in the western markets since 2013.
BYD, an acronym for ‘Build Your Dreams’ manufacturers passenger cars, buses, trucks, forklifts, electric bikes and automotive components. The company also manufactures EV batteries and is the third largest manufacturer of EV batteries in the world. In fact, the company has more than 29 years experience in battery research & development (R&D). Apart from the BYD brand, the vehicles are sold under other brand names, to include: Denza, Fangchengbao and Yangwang.
In relation to electric vehicles (EVs), BYD is now the largest EV manufacturer in the world. BYD ended the production of conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles in 2022, to focus on the development and manufacturer of electric cars. The company currently has the following battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs):
For those of you new to zero-emission electric driving, we recommend a read of the following articles:
There is a proverb ‘Good things come in threes’, and this could hold true for the recent entry of BYD electric cars in the UK. First was the all-electric BYD ATTO 3, followed by the all-electric BYD Dolphin. Also coming later in 2023, is the all-electric BYD Seal.
However, this should not come as a surprise, as Chinese automotive manufacturer leverage their vast experience in the development and production of electric vehicles (EVs), to gain a foothold in key international markets, like the UK.
Expect many more battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) from China based automotive companies to be launched in the coming months and years. In our view, this is a positive trend for the long-term development of the EV sector. Nothing like more competition to lower retail prices!
The Dolphin is not a new electric car. It has been manufactured since 2021 for the Chinese market. It is also the first production model to feature the new BYD logo. As you can expect, the ATTO 3 SUV and the Dolphin (C-segment hatchback) have much in common. Both electric cars are underpinned by the same EV dedicated platform, the BYD e-Platform 3.0. It is the first hatchback to use this ‘ultra-intelligent’, next-generation EV platform.
BYD claims that the platform enables an electric range exceeding 1,000 km (620 miles) via the world’s first 8-in-1 electric powertrain. The platform also uses blade batteries, which it claims is ‘one of the world’s safest batteries’. According to the company, the Blade Battery has surpassed the Nail Penetration Test.
According to BYD, the Dolphin electric, incorporates “Ocean Aesthetics, a design concept providing a dynamic, stylish, and highly recognisable visual symbol. In the car’s design, the dolphin, a marine mammal, is presented in both figurative and imaginative forms”.
It does take some stretch of the imagination to visualise the mammal in the e-hatchback, but we nevertheless like the exterior styling and the name! The crease lines certainly enhance the appeal. The EV is also available in dual-tone colour schemes.
Despite the limited BYD brand awareness in the UK (except, if you have spotted the brand on your local public e-bus), the electric hatchback has much to offer families seeking an affordable, yet practical family all-electric hatchback.
BYD has yet to confirm prices for the UK, but we expect it to be priced between £25,000 and £30,000. Quite similar to the all-electric Corsa-e and the all-electric GWM Ora Funky (another Chinese brand), and the all-electric MG4 hatchback (yes, another Chinese brand!). Deliveries of the Dolphin are expected to commence in Q4 2023. The Dolphin electric is the same length as the Ora Funky Cat and the MG4 (4.2 metres), but longer than the Corsa-e (4.0 metres).
The Dolphin electric hatchback has a 60 kWh onboard Blade EV battery, with a claimed WLTP zero-emission electric range up to 265 miles. The cobalt-free EV battery uses Lithium Iron-Phosphate (LFP). The EV also incorporates Cell-to-Pack (CTP) technology. Most EVs currently available in the market use the more conventional lithium-ion batteries. BYD will introduce a 45 kWh EV battery option in 2024.
A 60 kWh EV battery is a good size for a compact hatchback, like the Dolphin. However, expect a real-world e-range closer to 225 miles, which is more than ample for most day-to-day needs and motorway driving. It is worth noting that the EV incorporates a high-efficiency heat pump as standard. For those new to electric driving, a heat pump is an ‘efficiency enhancing’ innovation i.e. helps with better electric range performance.
The BYD Dolphin offers even slower DC charging capability (88 kW DC), compared to the BYD Atto 3 (150 kW DC). We suspect that the automotive manufacturer has offered only up to 88 kW DC, as many family electric cars are charged mostly at home (80% of the time). At 88 kW DC, the Dolphin EV can be charged 30% – 80% in 29 minutes. For some reason BYD does not give the more standard 10%-80% DC charging time!
Though the EV incorporates a 11 kW (three-phase) AC onboard charger as standard, given that most homes in the UK are powered by single-phase power supply, the EV charging will be limited to 7 kW AC (single-phase) charging. At 7 kW, the EV battery will take up to 9 hours and 42 minutes. Three-phase EV charging will be faster.
We recommend a ‘topping up’ approach to charging an electric car. This way, charging times are shorter! We also recommend combining an on-site PV system and battery storage, to truly leverage the benefits of zero-tailpipe emission electric driving. The EV incorporates vehicle-to-load (V2L). Using the onboard bidirectional charger, V2L can be used to charge certain electric appliances, like a laptop, smartphone etc. The EV can achieve a 3.3 kW external discharge. You can buy V2L EV cables via e-zoomed!
The front-wheel drive (FWD) BYD Dolphin can deliver 0-62 mph in 7.0 seconds (maximum power: 204 PS (150 kW)/ Torque: 310 Nm). The top speed of the EV is 99 mph. The EV has two levels of regenerative braking: Standard and High. For those new to electric driving, getting used to regen braking is not a significant challenge!
In terms of safety, the compact EV has a host of safety features, to include: forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, rear collision warning, rear cross traffic alert and rear cross traffic brake, lane departure prevention and emergency lane keeping assist. These come as standard for all variants. The EV has yet to achieve a Euro NCAP rating.
The interior of the five-door BYD Dolphin is not as minimalistic as the all-electric Honda-e. Nevertheless, the interior styling of the Dolphin works well. The EV has a 345 L boot. The seats can be split 60:40 allowing it to be expanded to 1,310 litres. In contrast the Honda-e has a 171 L boot.
BYD has followed a similar philosophy to the all-electric Fisker Ocean EV by adopting to use vegan leather seats. A few automotive manufacturers have already embraced this rapidly increasing trend. Despite the compact size of the electric hatchback, the Dolphin feels surprisingly spacious. The full-sized panoramic sunroof enhances the sense of the interior space. The sunroof is not available on all variants.
Company-car drivers can take advantage of the lower Benefit-in-Kind (BiK-2%) tax rate, given the zero-tailpipe emissions. Bottom-line, electric driving is good for the environment and the wallet. You can lease electric vehicles at very competitive prices via e-zoomed!
The All-Electric BYD Dolphin Hatchback (credit: BYD)
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