The price of electric vehicles is, slowly, coming down and beginning to edge into territory that is less likely to cause a shock.
Last month, two new electric vehicles (EVs) were launched into Australia that came in under the $40,000 barrier. Announced first was the MG4 Excite 51kWh (read more about that car on page 54) which can be had for $38,990 (before on-road costs), but this was closely followed by the BYD Dolphin, which was announced as being available from $38,890 (before on-road costs). With GWM knocking down the price of its Ora model EV to $39,990, there’s now some real competition over being the most competitively priced EV.
BYD has made a pretty spectacular start to its assault on the local market. Its Atto 3 model has been well received since its launch here and has seen the company claim second spot in the EV sales-numbers race behind Tesla. The new Dolphin will likely help BYD at least solidify that spot.
So what are Australian buyers going to get for their money should they buy a Dolphin?
The small hatchback is available in two set-ups – the Dynamic and the Premium (available for $44,890) with a third, a performance Sport version, on the cards.Both are front-wheel-drive, five-seater vehicles and are fitted with battery packs using BYD’s Blade Battery technology. The Dynamic gets a 44.9kWh pack, with the Premium receiving a 60.48kWh battery. Those set-ups are good, BYD says, for 340km of range (WLTP) in the Dynamic, and 427km (WLTP) in the Premium.
The Dolphin spec sheet says charging options vary between the two models with the Dynamic able to be charged at up to 60kW DC fast charging and the Premium at up to 80kW. Both have vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability.
Power for the Dynamic comes via a 70kW/180Nm motor, with the Premium getting a 150kW/310Nm motor. The difference in motor power is evident in acceleration figures. The Dynamic is, according to BYD, good to get to the 100km/h in a pretty slow 12.3 seconds. The Premium can manage the sprint in a rather better 7 seconds.
Suspension is Macpherson struts up front with the Dynamic having a torsion beam set-up at the rear and the Premium getting a multi-link system. The Dynamic sits on 16-inch tyres and the Premium on 17-inch rubber.
Luggage space for the Dolphin is 345 litres with the rear seat in place, and 1310 litres with the rear seat folded flat. Inside, there’s full connectivity including Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, sat-nav and wireless phone charging. Functions are controlled by a 12.8-inch touch screen which can also be electrically rotated to either landscape or portrait orientation.
The Dolphin also features a large panoramic moonroof, voice-recognition and plenty of USB and charging ports throughout the cabin. Heated seats and the vehicle’s climate-control air-conditioning are supported by BYD’s advanced heat pump system which maximises thermal management driving range.
As with its big brother the Atto 3, the Dolphin has plenty of safety features to go along with those infotainment functions. Standard inclusions include seven airbags, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Driver Fatigue Monitoring, Rear-Cross Traffic Alert and Braking, Adaptive Cruise-Control and Lane Keeping Assistance. There’s a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System, Intelligent Speed Limit Information and Intelligent Speed Limit Control, Traffic Sign Recognition, Front Collision Warning, Rear Collision Warning, Blind Spot Detection, Rear Cross Traffic Alert . . . and so on. It seems to be pretty stacked where advanced driving assistance features are concerned.
“We are proud to introduce an EV of such high quality and safety that is now within reach for more Australians,” said Luke Todd, CEO of EVDirect, BYD’s local distributor.
“With state government rebates as high as $6,000 in Queensland, this makes the Dolphin Dynamic as low as $32,890 plus on-road costs. In some instances, this positions it at a lower price point than similar petrol-powered vehicles, a circumstance that has been unprecedented until now.”
Shipments of the Dolphin are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of this year, and they can be ordered now from the BYD Automotive website.
Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (July 2023)
2 August 2023
