We drove the cheapest electric car: ‘Chinese’ is predictable
Yesterday in Zagreb was officially introduced by Dolphin Surf, a small city electric car A-segment that, with an initial price of 19,490 euros, becomes the cheapest electric car on offer in our market. The new model is BYD (Build Your Dreams), currently the strongest Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer, who arrived on the Croatian market a month ago, and its prime minister was held at all important European markets at the same time.
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Rimac introduced his robotaxes
Despite the length of only 3,99 meters, the vehicle offers an inter -axle distance of 250 cm, which, with a width of 172 cm and a height of 159 cm, ensures agility in urban conditions. The car is registered for four people, while the boot offers the basic 308 liters, expandable to 1037 liters by overlapping the rear seats. During the Zagreb Dolphin Surf test driving, four adults were easily stuck, two of whom were more than 190 centimeters, which means that it is spacious and more than solid for a car that is smaller than most of the city’s B segment cars in the market.
The exterior design is stylish and playful, and the interior combines black and gray, coated with artificial skin already in basic equipment. Most plastic in the cabin is hard, but there are also refined materials, while the quality of the production is very good. Serial equipment includes a small digital instrument panel, a rotating 10.1-inch central screen with the latest user interface, Apple Carplay and Android Auto support and intuitive voice control (‘Hi Byd’). There are also practical options such as unlocking the NFC smartphone or clock vehicle, as well as connectivity to the byd mobile app for remote control of the air conditioner.
Dolphin surf is based on e-platform 3.0 and uses the first 8-in-1 electric assembly in mass production. This system integrates all the key components of the electric drive into one whole, optimizing the space and increasing efficiency – especially important for compact vehicles. The drive is the front, a weaker version is driven by an 88hp engine, while the top performance uses an unusually powerful engine for this type of car. Specifically, it has as much as 156 hp, allowing the Little BYD to reach 9.1 seconds up to 100 km/h. The weaker version, depending on the battery for the same sprint, needs 11.1, a year 12.1 seconds.
Dolphin Surf is available in three levels of equipment-Active, Boost and Comfort-which also determine the size of the built-in blade LFP (lithium-fencefate) battery. The initial Active version includes a 30 kWh battery, while Boost and Comfort are equipped with a larger 43.2 kWh battery. A smaller battery allows WLTP a combined reach of 220 km, and a higher, depending on the engine, up to 322 KM in mixed and up to 507 KM in city driving. With the possibility of rapid filling with power up to 65 kW for smaller and 85 kW for a larger battery, 10 to 80 percent of the capacity can be filled in about half an hour. All three versions can also be filled with AC with power up to 11 kW.
Dolphin surf serial comes in a striking lime green color, while for an additional 650 euros, Ice Blue, Apricity White and Polar Night Black can be selected. The Active model comes on 15-inch steel rims, while Boost brings 16-inch alloy wheels, automatic wiper and electrically adjustable driver’s seat. The top-model Comfort also offers a more powerful engine with a 360 ° camera, a premium audio system, a front-seat heating, a wireless cellphone filling, a tinted rear glass, as well as an automatic LED light.
The basic Active version (30 kWh, 88 hp) costs 19,490 euros, a boost version with higher battery and the same power (43.2 kWh, 88 hp) costs from € 22,990. The Comfort with the richest equipment, a 43.2 kWh battery and a 156hp engine is offered for 25,990 euros.
On a short test ride, we have made a top version that provides really good performance and a rather comfortable suspension that is not too prone to leaning. The steering wheel is not too direct, but for more driving impressions and a real -reach assessment, we will have to wait for a more extensive test.
Byd Dolphin Surf comes with a guarantee of 6 years or 150,000 KM on the vehicle, 8 years or 200,000 KM on the battery and 150,000 KM on the electric motor. The first deliveries on the Croatian market start in June, and byd has already announced a strong presence in Croatia with the development of service networks and warehouses of parts in Hungary.
