BYD Dolphin drive by Steve Rogers
Let’s be honest, Dolphin doesn’t trip off the tongue
when talking about a new car.
But that is the name given to BYD’s latest electric
car, and the oceanic theme will continue when the Seal hits our roads in
December.
Time to press the pause button. Who the heck is BYD?
This is the biggest car company you have probably
never heard of and the latest to come out of China, a battery maker turned
electric car builder, and it is just like a Chinese takeaway, good value and very
tasty.
An independently owned company BYD has been supplying
the world with batteries along with lots of other tech - they make half of all
i-Pads - but now a significant player in electric cars.
Since its first model in 2008 BYD (Build Your Dreams)
has notched up more than five million sales, mainly in China, and last year
produced 1.8 million electric cars. The first model in the UK was the recently
launched Atto 3 SUV and now we have Dolphin, a five door family hatch around
the size as a VW Golf.
We are getting are four models, laden with standard
equipment and very competitively priced from £26,195 to £31,695. There is a
festival of technology, and cheery design full of thoughtful touches and masses
of storage spaces for a relatively small car.
For now it is the top end Comfort and Design models
with a 60kWh battery pack and a range of 265 miles. Entry Active and Boost
arrive in the new year with 45kWh packs and ranges of 211 and 193 for the
slightly more powerful Boost.
The headline grabber is the ‘blade’ design battery
pack, a thinner, lighter unit placed between the axles, with cobalt free
lithium iron-phosphate content, said to be safer than conventional lithium-ion
batteries.
An important benefit is a lower floor providing more
head and legroom which is a bonus for adults in the back seat.
Not a first but another key feature is the heat pump
which takes recycled energy from the motor, mitigating the loss of range
experienced when the car’s heating is turned on. That can sometimes be as much
as 25 miles on a freezing day. I can see that becoming standard in electric
cars in the not too distant future.
BYD wants owners to feel a sense of fun and there is a
light hearted, refreshing look to the cabin with a mixture of textures. Look
out for the dolphin fin style door pull and wave design theme across the
dashboard which is eye catching.
Nothing more captures the tech fest than the rotating
central touchscreen. This is can be switched from horizontal to vertical using
voice control and ‘Hey BYD’. It covers just about every function and even has a
pleasant lady reminding the driver to stay within the speed limit. A far more
effective guilt trip than a bleep.
With former Alpha Romeo and Audi designer Wolfgang
Egger at the helm Dolphin has a trendy European look beefed up with some
dazzling touches like the full width rear light bar and ziz-zag light
signature.
The spec across the board is extensive following the
current Chinese trend to tempt us into a new brand so expect powered front
seats, LED high beam auto dipping lights, 4G connection, cloud service, all
round camera, vegan leather trim, and a full suite of safety features as part
of a long list.
What about this for another handy touch. A cable for
charging electrical appliances using the car’s battery power with a ganger
attachment for a standard 3-pin plug. Great for camping or keeping the laptop,
i-Pad etc charged.
It’s a decent drive too, comfortable, with light
steering and neutral handling. Range loss over a 50 miles country drive was
around average for an electric car. A fast charge from 30 to 80 per cent takes
half an hour. And with pedal to the floor there is plenty of pick up for safe
overtaking.
Like Chinese owned MG, BYD is a work in progress so
the focus is on building a dealer network, our nearest is Stockport. The target
is 100 sites by the end of 2024.
If this is the standard we can expect then BYD is
going to be a force to be reckoned within the next five to 10 years. This is
great for the UK market so bring it on.
Fast facts
Dolphin Design
£31,695
Electric motor 200 bhp
60.4kWh battery
Range: 265 miles
0-60mph 7secs; 99mph
Warranty 6 years
Battery 8 years
Boot: 345-1310 litres
Insurance group 33
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