BYD has claimed top spot over Tesla in the rankings of most electric vehicles sold over the past year, largely because it has multiple offerings at the lower end of the price range.
Now it is making some of its models even more affordable, with a refreshed version of the new E2 compact EV that, according to cnevpost, looks sleeker than the previous generation car and has seen its price cut.
The model had previously had a starting price of over $A21,000, or 102,000 RMB, and is now priced at under $A19,000 in its local market of China.
This makes it one of the most affordable EVs of this size in the market and for this price, you get a car with a 43.2 kWh battery pack.
The E2’s BYD blade battery pack is capable of delivering up to 405 km of CLTC range, which is likely to be closer to 300 km under the WLTP test cycle.
There is a single-motor drivetrain with a motor that produces 70 kW of power and 180 Nm of torque. With that range and power, it’s perfect for city and around-town driving.
This is the same specification as the BYD Dolphin in its base Dynamic trim sold locally in Australia.
The E2 is slightly shorter than the Dolphin, but by just 30 mm in length. Having said that, it looks more like a conventional hatchback which is appealing to many buyers in its local market.
Moving onto the inside, an 8.8-inch infotainment screen is available with the rest of the interior being quite minimalistic. That makes the car feel more spacious given the compact hatchback design.
Like the Atto 3 and the Dolphin, there is a screen behind the steering wheel too which is preferred by many drivers. The steering wheel itself appears to be carried over from the other vehicles as well.
The BYD E2 comes with all the features needed for a city car and a price tag that makes it stand out from other models in a crowded Chinese EV market.
It’s unlikely that this hatchback will make it to many markets outside of China but it’s good to see affordability at the heart of BYD’s EV model range in 2024.
Locally in Australia, BYD continues to sell a good number of EVs with February being one of the best months for the brand thus far with 1,549 sales.
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.