After cats and dogs became names of cars, marine creatures also joined in.
On the evening of August 13th, BYD Dolphin began presales in an online release. The new car has four models with pre-sale prices ranging from 96,800 to 124,800 yuan.
In terms of brand and product positioning, the marine car series is positioned for the promotion and popularization of pure electric vehicles, with a product focus on young consumers and a highlight of the new energy vehicle attributes.
The models of the marine car series will be based on BYD’s pure electric vehicle platform and will be equipped with BYD’s latest E-Platform 3.0 technology, featuring 8-in-1 electric drive assemblies, heat pump air conditioning and other new technologies.
E-Platform 3.0 is BYD’s technology platform that consolidates its years of research and development experience in electric and intelligent vehicles, and will gradually be applied to various BYD models. Dolphin has the opportunity to be the first application, which will make it highly competitive in terms of technology and innovation.
Pure Electric Chassis Building
Dolphin has a wheelbase of over 65%, proving that it is a pure electric platform car developed on a genuine chassis.
The design inspiration for the Dolphin comes from the marine aesthetics of marine creatures.
On the front and rear of the BYD Dolphin, the 2021 BYD logo is suspended.
The Dolphin has three configurations, a length of 4125mm, a wheelbase of 2700mm, and an axle length ratio of nearly 66%, which is in an absolute leading position among small cars of the same level.
Axle length ratio is an important parameter for pure electric vehicles. A larger axle length ratio can accommodate more power batteries to improve the range.
Generally speaking, the axle length ratio of a car is rarely more than 60%, and car models with an axle length ratio above 65%, like the Dolphin, are not common even in pure electric vehicles. Such a layout has benefits in improving range and space.
In terms of range, the Dolphin has three types of range: 405km, 401km and 301km under different operating conditions, and two types of total powertrain: 70kW and 130kW.
From the spy photos of the model leaked on the Internet, the Dolphin has a low chassis height, a larger interior space, and a more convenient boarding and riding experience.
In terms of intelligence, the Dolphin is equipped with the DiLink 3.0 intelligent network system and hardware with a maximum 12.8-inch adaptive rotating suspension Pad.
The new UI design of the intelligent network system realizes interconnection of account systems, enabling seamless linkage between mobile phones and car machines, achieving full integration of human-vehicle-society-life scenarios.
Moreover, the Dolphin also supports intelligent configurations like NFC mobile phone car keys and VTOL discharge black technology for greater convenience.
E-Platform 3.0 Debut Vehicle
The Dolphin is also the debut vehicle of BYD e-platform 3.0.
Although it has not been fully unveiled, the new technologies quoted by the E-Platform 3.0 at the Shanghai Auto Show are enough to attract attention from the industry.
BYD OS will be unveiled on the E-Platform 3.0.
BYD OS integrates and manages the four domain controllers under the new electronic and electrical architecture.
BYD OS achieves couplings between software and hardware, with expandability, upgradeability, and full opening, which gives rise to a high-standard collaboration system for higher-level automatic driving and better human-vehicle interaction, vehicle-to-vehicle interaction, and vehicle-to-object interaction.
Based on this electronic and electrical architecture and BYD OS, electric vehicles can achieve more powerful automatic driving capability. The iteration speed of new functions can be shortened from two months to two weeks, and the function iteration cycle can be shortened by over 70%.
The Dolphin carries an 8-in-1 electric drive assembly, with a system efficiency of 89%, which is leading in the industry.
As the core component of the E-Platform 3.0, the 8-in-1 electric drive assembly has features like smaller size, lighter weight, stronger performance, and lower energy consumption.
In addition, the E-Platform 3.0 will be equipped with a new heat pump technology, which has higher energy efficiency for cooling/heating. Coupled with the direct heating and cooling technology of the battery pack, it can improve the overall performance of the battery pack, increasing the winter range by 20%.
In terms of charging, the E-Platform 3.0 will support 800V super flash charging, which can charge for 5 minutes and drive for 150km.In terms of security, blade batteries will become the standard configuration of BYD e-platform 3.0.
High Expectations for the Ocean Series
Currently, there is a problem of model overlap between the two marketing networks of the BYD Dynasty Marketing Network and the e-Net Marketing Network.
For example, the BYD Song series has two models, Song Pro and Song PLUS, which are sold on the Dynasty Network and the e-Net respectively, making it difficult for consumers to choose when purchasing a car.
BYD needs to quickly solve the problem of the inconvenience of the model system for consumers on different marketing networks.
The launch of the Ocean Series can solve this problem and also bring the brand closer to the younger consumer groups.
After the successful naming of cars after pets like cats and dogs, BYD quickly came up with the ocean species naming system, showing sufficient marketing responsiveness.
With a new series, new technology and the double new Ocean Series, there are high expectations for these new products.
After the success of the Han EV in the electric car market above 200,000 RMB, BYD needs a vehicle model that can achieve high sales volume in the household electric car market under 100,000 RMB. The Dolphin and the Ocean Series are undoubtedly the most promising products.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.