Chinese electric car manufacturer BYD has taken another step toward selling cars in Australia.
The BYD Han sedan has arrived on local soil, according to a LinkedIn post from BYD Australia and New Zealand, ahead of its planned Australian launch.
The Han has a claimed 100km/h sprint time of just 3.9 seconds, and a claimed range of just over 600km.
Under the skin is the BYD Blade Battery, which uses a unique cell layout to allow for greater power density and better prevent thermal runaway if the pack is pierced.
Unlike the batteries used in Tesla vehicles (and most mainstream rivals), the BYD range uses lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) technology.
Launched last year in China as a rival to the Tesla Model S (among countless other Chinese competitors), the BYD Han will be sold by an Australian online startup called EV Direct.
The Driven reports it will form part of a four-car range in Australia, including the compact BYD Tang SUV, a plug-in hybrid SUV, and a small sedan called the Qin.
EV Direct will sell these cars through its website, rather than using a traditional showroom model.
The site is described as “a platform where there is going to be a whole magnitude of electric cars in one place” on its website.
“You won’t need to shop around, you can go to one website and there’ll be multiple vehicles that’ll be on the market, and you’ll be able to research, compare, check which vehicles you like, and then make an educated decision on which vehicle you want to purchase,” EV Direct CEO Luke Todd says in a video posted on the website.
“We’re going to be bringing the cost down of electric vehicles dramatically.”
Along with the Han, the BYD T3 van was recently spied testing in Australia. A number of the models eventually destined for our shores have been seen out and about in Sydney, and BYD sedans are being tested as taxis in Sydney.
Should EV Direct get off the ground it could dramatically increase the amount of choice for electric car buyers on a budget in Australia.
Hyundai currently offers two electric cars, Kia is set to add the Niro to its range, Nissan has the Leaf, Tesla has the Model 3, and MG has the ZS EV at the affordable end of the market.
