BYD Dolphin EV priced at $25,000 in China, coming soon in Australia

BYD Automotive will expand its electric vehicle (EV) range in both directions by 2023, with new entry Dolphin BYD hatch entrance and BYD Seal sedan.

The Dolphin will become Australia’s cheapest electric car, beating the current champion: $44,990 to drive MG ZS EV.

BYD has just announced the price and specifications of the Dolphin 2023 in China, with levels ranging from RMB 116,900 (approximately $25,000) to RMB 136,800 ($29,000).

That suggests that when the Dolphins arrive – before mid-2023 at this stage— it will have a sticker price of around $30,000, setting a new standard in EV affordability.

At 4125mm long, the BYD small electric car is about the size of a Volkswagen Polo and larger than a Toyota Yaris.

All use the 44.9 kWh BYD Blade BYD Blade lithium iron phosphate battery pack – this design was developed in-house and supplied to other brands like Toyota – meaning a claimed driving range of 400 km to 420 kilometer.

The low-cost models are equipped with 70kW and 180Nm transmission motors, in the more expensive model increase to 130kW and 290Nm – reducing the 0-50km/h time (no 0-100km/h delivery) from 3.9 seconds to 3.9 seconds. 3.0 seconds .

BYD claims a DC quick charge (30-80 percent recharge) time of 30 minutes with a top speed of 60kW. As with the BYD Atto 3, AC wall box charging is limited to 7kW.

The Dolphin sits on BYD’s new 3.0 EV platform, with MacPherson strut front suspension and torsion beam rear suspension, and disc brakes at each end enhanced by regenerative braking.

All BYD Dolphins in China come with six airbags, ISOFIX anchors, cruise control, app-based remote start, LED headlights, alloy wheels, a 12.8-inch DiLink rotating touchscreen with voice control, over-the-air updates and VTL compatibility.

Only the top 130kW model in China has driver assistance such as automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control and traffic sign recognition – which we expect will be local car standards.

The BYD Dolphin isn’t the only low-cost Chinese EV coming to Australia in 2023, with all-new engines Grade 4 and Cat GWM Ora are also on the way.