BYD testing car in Canberra ahead of launch of Australia's cheapest EV

Have you spotted a small hatchback in Barton with what appears to be a psychedelic-style rug draped over the bonnet and odd stickers on other panels?

It was a partially camouflaged version of the new BYD Dolphin, now officially the cheapest electric vehicle (EV) in Australia. But only just.

The Chinese car maker has become famous locally for the ATTO3 SUV which, although a few grand more expensive than its rival from MG, crams in more features for the $47,381 price (including a double bass in the door pockets).

BYD was testing its new hatchback model around Canberra earlier this month before opening the order books last week. First deliveries are scheduled later this year.

The base Dolphin Dynamic starts at $38,890, making it $100 cheaper than the new MG 4 hatchback, which is scheduled to arrive in mid-August.

Buyers will even get a similar range, with BYD estimating 340 km for the Dolphin and MG 350 km for the base 4 Excite model.

Don’t think there are many pesky on-road costs to worry about either as stamp duty and the first two years of registration are waived by the ACT Government for local EV buyers. However, the Dolphin still works out cheaper in Queensland, where the government offers rebates of $6000 for those who purchase an EV priced under $68,000. This effectively lowers the RRP to $32,890.

For the first time, these figures peg an EV firmly against petrol-powered options. The Dolphin’s rivals include the most basic versions of the Toyota Corolla, Hyundai i30 and Mazda 3, all priced from just under $29,000. But they don’t come with an optional Barbie pink interior.

The Australian distributor of BYD, EVDirect, describes the Dolphin as “Australia’s most affordable, high-quality electric vehicle of all time”.

“In some instances, this positions [the Dolphin] at a lower price point than similar petrol-powered vehicles, a circumstance that has been unprecedented until now,” CEO Luke Todd said.

In terms of what you get for the price, the base Dynamic comes standard with power-adjustable heated front seats and a panoramic glass roof, as well as a wide array of active safety and driver assist equipment – all normally unheard of at this price, too.

The battery size goes up from 44.9 kWh in the Dynamic to 60.48 kWh in the $44,890 Premium model, and BYD has also confirmed a limited-edition version called the Dolphin Sport – 1000 are coming to Australia next year.

“Our hot hatch with premium features, premium design and premium speed – a 0-100 km/h speed of sub-seven seconds – is extremely attractive and unheard of for $49,890,” Mr Todd said.

Standard across the range is a vehicle-to-load (V2L) function, effectively allowing owners to plug in and power small appliances from the battery.

And if you hadn’t heard of BYD yet, they were recognised for their batteries well before their cars. The Chinese company has been churning out batteries for almost 30 years and reckons their latest ‘Blade’ technology is one of the world’s safest.

It uses lithium iron phosphate as its core ingredient, which doesn’t get very hot or release oxygen when penetrated (which is the cause of those lithium-ion battery fires in other EVs that burn for days). BYD has tested all this by shooting nails into the batteries to replicate damage in a severe car accident – the most that happened was a surface temperature rise of 60 degrees Celsius on the battery.

To boot, the Blade tech also promises double the storage capacity of the same-sized traditional battery packs – meaning more range – and a longer lifespan of “over 5000 charge and discharge cycles”. Charge once a week? That’s about 100 years.

The car is backed by a six-year, 150,000-km vehicle warranty and the battery an eight-year, 160,000-km warranty.

There were also rumours BYD would open an Experience Centre on a two-storey site in Parramatta Street near the 7-Eleven service station in Phillip. Compared to a traditional dealership, this was to complement BYD’s largely online buying experience with in-person advice.

“It’s about explaining the technology that underpins the vehicle, things like where the batteries end up at the end of their life, and answering all of the million questions people have about EVs,” Mr Todd told Region in December 2022.

It’s understood this has fallen through, however, and the local Experience Centre, operated by the Janrule Automotive Group, is now located at 4 O’Brien Place in Gungahlin, between Supercheap Auto and Gold Creek Motors.

A four-door BYD Seal sedan is coming to Australia later this year.