BYD MAKES A SPLASH

Dolphin is a perfect car for city driving

MY JAW was on the floor this week when I read that a driver had been clocked travelling at 228kph on the M1 in Co Louth over the bank holiday weekend.

I have driven at that speed, and even faster in fact, perfectly legally on the autobahn in Germany, but the difference there is that everyone is alert to such velocity.

If you looked in your wing mirror here, and saw a car a kilometre behind you, you would happily pull out to overtake. At that speed, though, this driver would be on you in 15 seconds flat, and the carnage he or she could have caused is immense.

Thankfully, even if you were irresponsible enough to try it, that sort of speed is impossible in the pert Dolphin, the hatchback offering from Chinese giant BYD, which has overtaken Tesla as the world’s biggest EV maker. Its top speed of 160kph is more than ample in a country in which the maximum allowed is 40kph lower than that.

It is nimble too, dashing from 90-100kph in just seven seconds, and this liveliness is one of its best features.

Again, though, you would barely ever need to hit even the hundred, because the Dolphin really is at its best as a city car. Claimed range in mixed driving is 427km, but if all your driving is urban, BYD says you could get 565km from a single charge.

I didn’t have the chance to put that to the test, because I live in the sticks, and realworld conditions don’t usually mirror the official numbers, but I think it’s safe to say that on a fairly standard commute of, say, 40km a day, you still would be charging the car only once a week.

On a home wallbox, that is easily accomplished overnight, while on a 150kW public charger, you’ll get from 080% in 43 minutes, 10-80% in 40 minutes, and 30-80% in 29 minutes.

The battery is BYD’s proprietary Blade battery, and uses lithium iron phosphate, and no cobalt, which is reassuring given concerns over how cobalt is mined, often using child labour.

The ride is a little soft, especially in corners, but it’s very pleasant when you’re going in a straight line. The suspension isn’t terribly fond of speed bumps, though.

The cabin is roomier than I expected and, in the Design spec, the panoramic sunroof makes it feel light and airy, even on those miserable couple of days we had this week.

The infotainment screen is the now familiar BYD rotating set-up, and a quick flick of a button on the steering wheel makes it possible to choose between landscape and portrait mode.

It’s a bit gimmicky, but actually there are times when one makes more sense than other, and you’ll use it more often than you think.

Less successful are the scrollable physical buttons for the likes of aircon, which are a bit fidgety, and the toggle between drive, neutral and reverse is not as intuitive as what you’ll find on, say, the Volkswagen ID range.

At the rear, the Build Your Dreams lettering present on the BYD Atto 3 is here too, and it’s very cheesy.

In fact, I understand that BYD has taken customer feedback on this very seriously, and is thinking of ditching it. Not a moment too soon.

The company is starting to fill every slot in the market. The Atto 3 is a compact SUV, this Dolphin is a C-segment hatchback, and the Seal is a quality saloon, and one of my favourite EVs of the past year, alongside the Polestar 2, the KIA EV9 and the Hyundai Ioniq 6.

I drove that car in Germany, and will have it here soon for a week-long test, and will report back on how it sits on Irish roads.

In the meantime, though, the Dolphin is another feather in BYD’s cap. As I said, it’s perfect for anyone who drives primarily in town, but as the public infrastructure grows, charging on the go doesn’t take long anyway.

To that end, I noticed recently in Carrickmines Retail Park in south Co Dublin, that the ESB is installing eight superfast chargers, which is great news.

The best thing of all is price. Net of the €3,500 SEAI grant, the BYD Dolphin comes in at €29,318 for the entry-level Comfort model, and €31,192 for this Design trim.

With a whole host of great features, including adaptive cruise control, it is terrific value for money, and certainly should be on your browsing list if you’re looking for your first EV.