electrive.com — 2023-06-22
Automotive Industry
It is official, the BYD Dolphin is coming to Europe this summer, with deliveries starting in the fourth quarter of this year. It will cost between €29,990 and €37,740 and be available in four versions.
The basic Active version combines a 70 kW engine and an LFP battery with 44.9 kWh capacity. The Boost version uses the same battery, but offers 130 kW of power. In addition, the Comfort and Design variants are each equipped with a 150 kW engine and a 60.4 kWh LFP battery. BYD will initially offer only the models with a bigger battery in Europe. The Active and Boost variants will be offered from Q1 2024.
BYD gives the WLTP ranges of 310 to 427 kilometres, depending on the version. All versions are equipped with “a high-efficiency integrated heat pump”. It is said to increase thermal efficiency by up to 15% in the winter.
Regarding charging, the bigger batteries can be charged with up to 11 kW (AC) and 88 kW (DC). At the DC charger, charging the battery from 30% to 80% takes roughly half an hour. The smaller variants can be charged with 7 kW (AC) and 60 kW (DC). In case of the latter, it takes 28 minutes to fill the battery from 30% to 80%. Interestingly, in both cases, BYD does not specify the usual range of 10% to 80%.
The BYD is 4.29 metres long, 1.77 metres wide and 1.57 metres high – with a wheelbase of 2.77 metres. The 345-litre luggage compartment can be expanded to up to 1,310 litres when the rear seats’ backrests are folded down.
Moreover, the BYD Dolphin is equipped with Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) technology, “, which can achieve 3.3kW external discharge, allowing the new energy vehicle to become a mobile power station. This provides convenience for activities such as outdoor picnics and open-air movies, allowing multiple lifestyle applications.”
The carmaker just recently announced its market start in France and Italy, where it will offer the Atto 3 and the Han. In France – as well as in other European markets, such as Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Spain and Portugal – BYD also sells its large electric SUV Tang.