The world number 2 in electric cars, BYD, present in France, is launching its brand new e2, a very affordable electric city car. Displayed around 15,000 euros, it should compete head-on with the Dacia Spring and the MG4 if it saw the light of day in Europe. Especially since it displays interesting performances.
For a few months, we haven’t stopped hearing about BYD. And for good reason, the Chinese firm continues its rise in power and is developing in particular in Europe, having launched no less than three models and having plans to set up factories there. A few days ago, the firm also formalized the arrival on the Old Continent of its high-end division called Denza.
A new electric compact
You can’t really say that the Asian manufacturer has been out of work lately, and it seems to be working for it since its sales have increased considerably over the last year. So much so that it now gives Tesla cold sweats. But another builder should also be worried. This is Dacia, which has been marketing its Spring since 2021.
Indeed, the Chinese firm has just announced on its account Weibo the launch in China of its entire new e2, a low-cost compact car which could compete head-on with the low-cost car from the European manufacturer, or also with the MG4 and MG5. But to tell the truth, this newcomer is not that much, since she was born in 2019. She was until then only reserved for taxi drivers.
The production of the city car had been interrupted last year, before it made its big comeback this year, with some changes. First of all, regarding the style, with a new full grille as well as a black band connecting lights meanwhile unchanged. The dimensions have also been revised upwards, with a length of 4.26 meters for 1.76 meters wide and 1.53 meters high as recalled Car News China.
This new version is based on the whole new e-platform 3.0 developed by the Chinese manufacturer and is positioned in the Ocean range, alongside the BYD Seal and other Dolphins. The wheelbase is displayed at 2.61 meters, which remains more than adequate to accommodate the occupants in a completely redesigned driving position to get closer to the other models in the range.
An affordable price
We indeed find a large 12.8-inch touchscreen can rotate, as on the BYD Atto 3 and other Tangs, also available at Danza under the name N8. This is associated with an 8.8-inch digital handset. Note that the car comes standard with the Bluetooth key to open the doors and start the engine. Of course, this one is 100% electric and develops a power of 95 horsepower.
This is much more than the Dacia Spring, which peaks at 65 horsepower in its recently formalized Extreme version. The new BYD e2 also has a 43.2 kWh LFP (lithium – iron – phosphate) battery, compared to 27.4 kWh for its Romanian rival. So, autonomy is displayed at 405 kilometers according to the Chinese CLTC cycle, which is equivalent to approximately 345 WLTP kilometers.
For memory, the Spring can only travel 230 kilometers maximum. In addition, the new BYD e2 also comes standard with the heat pump, which reduces consumption in winter. However, for this, it will be necessary to favor long journeys, as we have seen in a previous article. It takes 30 minutes to go from 30 to 80% battery thanks to a maximum power of 40 kW in direct current (DC).
The website It Home specifies that the Chinese city car displays a very reasonable consumption of only 10.3 kWh per 100 kilometers. This starts from 102,800 yuan, which is equivalent to approximately 13,696 euros, against 20,800 euros for the Spring, ecological bonus of 5,000 euros not deducted. If the price difference is significant, that of the BYD e2 could be revised upwards if it makes its way to Europe. Which would be entirely possible.
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