Given what we have seen, is there any way for the electric car to take off in Spain? It seems somewhat complicated, but if there is a way to achieve it, it is quite clear: it involves offering drivers truly cheap electric cars, which do not have to be subject to state aid to have rates that an average user finds reasonable.
Little by little the industry is heading in that direction, something that is clear with the imminent arrival of the new Citroën C3 or with the beginning of a price war motivated by Tesla and to which other brands such as Ford, Volkswagen or Subaru have joined.
However, regardless of who it may be, the radical change in this aspect would come from China and has its own name and surname: BYD Dolphin.
The Asian brand already markets its access model in our country, but the truth is that, although it is relatively affordable, its price in these lands is far from the very tight cost it presents in its local market: in Spain the access version costs 35,690 euros , while in China it costs 99,800 yuan, the equivalent of about 12,772 euros.
How is this possible? It is because, for the moment, BYD only sells in Spain the intermediate and top finishes of the range, as well as the most powerful engine available.
Thus, when the base equipment level and the lower-performance engines are added throughout this year, the Chinese urban car will experience a considerable price cut that could turn the market upside down. It seems impossible that it costs around 13,000 euros in its home market, but everything indicates that it will have a very interesting access rate.
With this in mind, we are going to analyze the Dolphin range in the Far East to anticipate how it will shape up in our market later.
The entry-level trim there is called Vitality, while here it will be the Active, which is scheduled to go on sale during the first half of this year. Above are the Free, Fashion and Knight; while in Spain the intermediate finish is called Comfort and the top is Design.
Moving on to the engines, the base develops a power of 95 HP and is combined with a 32 kWh battery to approve a range of 302 km. The same engine can be associated with a larger battery, with a capacity of 45 kWh, with which the approved range is extended to 420 km.
The intermediate engine develops 177 HP of power and is combined with the same 45 kWh battery, but the increase in performance does not greatly affect the range, which is 401 km. It can also be powered by a larger 60 kWh battery, with which the range goes up to 520 km.
Keep in mind that the figures are according to the lax Chinese approval cycle, so the real range will be lower. As an example, the Dolphin is already sold in Spain, with a 204 HP engine, which with the 45 kWh battery provides 340 km of autonomy and with the 60 kWh battery it remains at 427 km.