Autonomy and doubts about small columns aside, one of the factors that most limit the spread of electric cars are the prices. In fact, it is no coincidence that the sales of these cars depend largely on generous people state contributions (do you know which electric car to buy in 2024?).
The Chinese giant is well aware of this BYD, that after passing Tesla as largest producer to the world of electric cars is about to embark on what has been defined as a “liberation battle” against petrol cars. The weapon? Ever lower prices.
For the Asian brand, in fact, the biggest rival is not the American manufacturer or other car brands, but cars with combustion engines, and there is only one way to free users: offering the alternative at lower prices.
Not that electric cars in China cost that much, e.g BYD he owes his fortune precisely to prices contents of its proposals, such as Dolphin And Act 3sold in the homeland for figures around 15,000 euros (against i 30,000 and euro passes required in Italy).
Nonetheless, the goal is reduce still the costs for users.
BYD Act 3
BYD launched its price war last month with new models Qin Plus EV (completely electric), launched starting from 109,800 yuan (14,000 euros) and advertised as the progenitors of a “new era where electricity is cheaper than petrol“.
BYD Qin Plus EV
We are talking about a car equipped with a battery 48 kWh or 57.6 kWh for a CLTC autonomy of up to 420 km and 510 km respectively, not really to be despised (think of the 220 km of a 20,000 euro Dacia Spring, just to make a comparison).
The DM-i version (PHEV) it is even cheaper, as it starts at just 79,800 yuan (10,200 euros), and allows 120 km of autonomy in electric mode (NEDC cycle). A record, if you consider that last year the company’s least expensive plug-in hybrid was sold for 100,000 yuan (12,700 euros), and already BYD had announced that he would destroyed the petrol car market.
Recently, BYD launched its cheapest electric car ever, the Seagull EV (honor Edition), which starts at the incredible price of 69,800 yuan (8,900 euros).
BYD Seagull EV
In the future, BYD may be even more aggressive. At the moment the majority of the brand’s vehicles are based on its platform e-Platform 3.0with a CLTC autonomy of up to 1,000 km, and which allows production costs to be reduced compared to the previous generation by 20%.
But the platform launched in 2021, and the brand is preparing to launch this year e-platform 4.0. This version should integrate even more components, reduce i wiring and therefore further reduce the costs, according to a report by CNEVPost. The new generation plug-in hybrid cars (DM-i version) alone will have over 2000 km of range in electric and petrol mode, and with these prices it will be difficult for combustion engine cars to compete.
The battle for BYD’s liberation therefore seems to have begun, and the producers Westerners they’re starting to worry.
The Ford boss Jim Farley said if you can’t compete with these brands, “20-30% of revenues are at risk“.
Nonetheless, BYD at the moment it doesn’t seem willing to sell in the United States, because the market is too big “confused” and in Europe i prices they still seem far from those of the liberation battle.
