BYD promises big gains, faster charging speeds, as it launches upgraded EV platform

BYD, one of the fastest-growing car companies in the world, has just unveiled its upgraded fully electric platform that promises new motors and improved charging speeds. 

The drastically improved new EV architecture platform will be called e-Platform 3.0 Evo, according to a report from cnevpost. It will feature a new 12-in-1 electric drive system which is a step up from the current 8-in-1 system.

This new platform will now support motors that can spin up to 23,000 rpm (revolutions per minute). For comparison, Tesla motors in the drive units can reach 18,000 rpm.

Other improvements come in the form of charging where BYD has managed to reduce its 80-100% charging time of its blade battery from 30 minutes to 18 minutes. 

This will help bring the total time of charge down when fully charging a blade battery in cars that are based on the e-Platform 3.0 EVO platform.

The announcement of the new platform came at the same time as the company announced the more details of its soon-to-launch sleek Sea Lion 07 electric SUV. This EV was first unveiled at the Guangzhou auto show in November 2023.  

Image: BYD via Weibo

Few details about the sleek SUV were shared at that time but the announcement of the new platform coincides with the unveiling of the pricing of this model.

The Sea Lion starts with a price equivalent to $A40,480 for the entry-level single-motor variant and goes all the way up to $A51,150 for the top-spec dual-motor all-wheel-drive variant.

Powering the entry-level model is a motor that delivers 170 kW of power and 380 Nm of torque. The mid-spec variants are equipped with a motor delivering 230 kW of power. The top of the range model deliver 390 kW of power from its dual-motor powertrain.

On the battery front, the entry-level Sea Lion comes in two variations of BYD’s blade battery pack. These include 71.8 kWh which delivers up to 550 km of range as well as an 80.64 kWh pack that can reach 610 km on a single charge in the CLTC testing cycle.

Image: BYD via Weibo

This dual-motor variant has a top speed that has been boosted over the currently available Seal Performance. This is likely due to the new e-Platform 3.0 Evo architecture, allowing for higher output speeds from the drive motors.

The current powertrain in the dual-motor configuration will help the Sea Lion 07 get up to 225 km/h in top speed which is higher than the Seal that tops out at 180 km/h.

Deliveries of the new Sea Lion 07 on BYD’s latest EV architecture are expected to begin later this month. 

Current models from BYD sold in Australia are all based on the existing e-Platform 3.0. This includes the Atto 3, Dolphin and the Seal. 

As of now, it’s unclear which BYD vehicle will bring this platform to Australia but we hope it’s a model like the Sea Lion 07 given the popularity of SUVs locally.

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