The BYD family certainly goes from one end of motoring to the top; from their small EV the Dolphin Surf, with which I spent a week recently, to the fastest car currently available, the YANGWANG U9 Xtreme which recently set a world record of 496.2 kph (308mph).
I have to report that the Dolphin Surf will not be setting any world records in term s of speed but it is in the top ten of the cheapest EV cars that you can purchase. Despite its modest dimensions this little number from the Chinese carmaker has lots of personality and thanks to a very bright exterior yellow colour it caught a fair amount of attention. Right away after having spent seven days under various driving conditions I must state that the Dolphin Surf is best suited to the urban environment and those with a short commute could really benefit by owning such a car. I found parking was a breeze, aided of course by a rear view camera. The Dolphin Surf also has a voice, as a lady warned of a school in the area and often I was reminded to keep my eyes on the road ahead; the latter became an irritation.
Thanks to clever use of its e-Platform 3.0 chassis there is surprisingly adequate cabin and boot space; however not the car to take the family away for a weekend. This platform has been designed for EVs and it incorporates the Blade battery which uses lithium iron phosphates chemistry for higher levels of durability and safety, more so than traditional EV batteries. With this small EV a choice of two batteries, 30kWh with the Active version and 43.2 kWh in Boost and Comfort and a claimed range in the region of 332km (200m). A city range of 482km (300m) is claimed, as it is always it is very much down to the manner in which a car is driven. I must admit I was taken by the handling of the Dolphin Surf, it was reassuring and it was great fun to drive; of course a price to pay, drive in a sporty manner and down goes the battery level. Looking at performance, more than respectful for this type of car, depending on the battery, rest to 100kph (62mph) ranging from 9.1 to 12.1 seconds.
Moving to the interior and I have to say it delivers something of a fun element, this is one set of wheels that will have great appeal to the younger drivers in our midst. Once on board it generates a good feeling with comfort levels much better than I could have hoped for. The dashboard layout is clean and incorporates a standard infotainment screen, which is positioned close enough to line of vision for ease of use and a screen which is very easy to navigate. The Hi BYD intuitive voice control enables easy access of many of the key functions; a feature which comes as something of a surprise in a car that is as affordable as the Dolphin Surf. Yes, there is a practical side to this small and vey nimble EV, boot capacity is 308 litres, fold down the seats and you have 1,037 litres to work with.
Summing up, it has been some considerable time since I tested a car that delivers value for money and one that can put a smile on your face.
Ian Lynas