The All-Electric BYD Dolphin Hatchback: The Complete Guide For India

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Electric Cars: The Basics

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For those of you new to zero-emission electric driving, we recommend a read of the following articles:

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The All-Electric BYD Dolphin Hatchback

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BYD, an acronym for “Build Your Dreams’, is a publicly listed Chinese multinational company that manufacturers passenger cars, buses, trucks, forklifts, electric bikes and automotive components, to include, EV batteries.

In relation to electric vehicles (EVs), BYD is the fourth largest EV manufacturer in the world, to include, BEVs (battery-electric vehicles) and PHEVs (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles). It is also the third largest manufacturer of EV batteries in the world. In fact, the company has more than 28 years experience in battery research & development. The multinational conglomerate is headquartered in Xi’an (Shaanxi Province, China). BYD currently has the following EVs in its portfolio:

• BYD Atto 3
• BYD Dolphin
• BYD Seal
• BYD Han
• BYD Tang
• BYD e6

The Dolphin is not a new electric car. It has been manufactured since 2021 for the Chinese market. It is also the first production model to feature the new BYD logo. As you can expect, the ATTO 3 SUV and the Dolphin (C-segment hatchback) have much in common. Both electric cars are underpinned by the same EV dedicated platform, the BYD e-Platform 3.0. It is the first hatchback to use this ‘ultra-intelligent’, next-generation EV platform.

BYD claims that the platform enables an electric range exceeding 1,000 km via the world’s first 8-in-1 electric powertrain. The platform also uses blade batteries, which it claims is ‘one of the world’s safest batteries’. According to the company, the Blade Battery has surpassed the Nail Penetration Test.

According to BYD, the Dolphin electric, incorporates “Ocean Aesthetics, a design concept providing a dynamic, stylish, and highly recognisable visual symbol. In the car’s design, the dolphin, a marine mammal, is presented in both figurative and imaginative forms”.

It does take some stretch of the imagination to visualise the mammal in the electric hatchback, but we nevertheless like the exterior styling and the name! The crease lines certainly enhance the appeal. The EV is also available in dual-tone colour schemes. The electric hatchback has much to offer families seeking an affordable, yet practical family all-electric hatchback.

BYD has yet to confirm prices for India, but we expect it to be priced similar to the all-electric Corsa-e and the all-electric GWM Ora Funky (another Chinese brand), and the all-electric MG4 hatchback (yes, another Chinese brand!). For some markets, deliveries of the Dolphin are expected to commence in Q4 2023. The Dolphin electric is the same length as the Ora Funky Cat and the MG4 (4.2 metres), but longer than the Corsa-e (4.0 metres).

The Dolphin electric hatchback has a 60 kWh onboard Blade EV battery, with a claimed WLTP zero-emission electric range up to 427 km. The cobalt-free EV battery uses Lithium Iron-Phosphate (LFP). The EV also incorporates Cell-to-Pack (CTP) technology. Most EVs currently available in the market use the more conventional lithium-ion batteries. BYD will introduce a 45 kWh EV battery option in 2024.

A 60 kWh EV battery is a good size for a compact hatchback, like the Dolphin. However, expect a real-world e-range closer to 360 km, which is more than ample for most day-to-day needs and motorway driving. It is worth noting that the EV incorporates a high-efficiency heat pump as standard. For those new to electric driving, a heat pump is an ‘efficiency enhancing’ innovation i.e. helps with better electric range performance.

The BYD Dolphin offers even slower DC charging capability (88 kW DC), compared to the BYD Atto 3 (150 kW DC). We suspect that the automotive manufacturer has offered only up to 88 kW DC, as many family electric cars are charged mostly at home (80% of the time). At 88 kW DC, the Dolphin EV can be charged 30% – 80% in 29 minutes. For some reason BYD does not give the more standard 10%-80% DC charging time!

The EV incorporates a 11 kW (three-phase) AC onboard charger as standard. Using a 3-phase dedicated EV charger like myenergi zappi, the EV can be fully charged in 6 hours and 30 minutes. Single-phase 7 kW EV charging will take longer. Up to 9 hours and 42 minutes.

We recommend a ‘topping up’ approach to charging an electric car. This way, charging times are shorter! We also recommend combining an on-site PV system and battery storage, to truly leverage the benefits of zero-tailpipe emission electric driving. The EV incorporates vehicle-to-load (V2L). Using the onboard bidirectional charger, V2L can be used to charge certain electric appliances, like a laptop, smartphone etc. The EV can achieve a 3.3 kW external discharge.

The front-wheel drive (FWD) BYD Dolphin can deliver 0-100 km/h in 7.0 seconds (maximum power: 204 PS (150 kW)/ Torque: 310 Nm). The top speed of the EV is 160 km/h. The EV has two levels of regenerative braking: Standard and High. For those new to electric driving, getting used to regen braking is not a significant challenge!

In terms of safety, the compact EV has a host of safety features, to include: forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, rear collision warning, rear cross traffic alert and rear cross traffic brake, lane departure prevention and emergency lane keeping assist. These come as standard for all variants. The EV has yet to achieve a Euro NCAP rating.

The interior of the five-door BYD Dolphin is not as minimalistic as the all-electric Honda-e. Nevertheless, the interior styling of the Dolphin works well. The EV has a 345 L boot. The seats can be split 60:40 allowing it to be expanded to 1.310 litres. In contrast the Honda-e has a 171 L boot.

BYD has followed a similar philosophy to the all-electric Fisker Ocean EV by adopting to use vegan leather seats. A few automotive manufactures have already embraced this rapidly increasing trend. Despite the compact size of the electric hatchback, the Dolphin feels surprisingly spacious. The full-sized panoramic sunroof enhances the sense of the interior space. The sunroof is not available on all variants.

The EV is suitable for both, families and company-car drivers given the zero-tailpipe emissions and the lower cost of driving a pure electric car compared to a conventional petrol or diesel vehicle.

Bottom-line, electric driving is good for the environment and the wallet!

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PROS	CONS
An affordable electric hatchback with a practical e-range	DC charging limited to 88 kW DC
Incorporates heat-pump, V2L and good level of standard equipment	Entry-level smaller EV battery option not available immediately
Developed on a dedicated EV platform and incorporates Blade Battery technology	Limited brand awareness

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The All-Electric BYD Dolphin Hatchback (credit: BYD)

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At A Glance
EV Type:	Battery-Electric Vehicle (BEV)
Vehicle Type:	Hatchback
Engine:	Electric
Available In India:	No

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Trims (1 Option)
BYD Dolphin (from Rs N/A)

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EV Battery & Emissions
EV Battery Type:	Lithium Iron-Phosphate (LFP)
EV Battery Capacity:	Available in one battery size: 60 kWh
Charging:	88 kW DC rapid charging (30%-80%: 29 mins). Onboard charger 11 kW AC (0%-100% : 6 hrs 30 mins)/ 7 kW AC (0%-100% : 9 hrs 42 mins)
Charge Port:	Type 2
EV Cable Type:	Type 2
Tailpipe Emissions:	0g (CO2/km)
Battery Warranty:	8 years or 160,000 km

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Charging Times (Overview)
Slow charging AC (3 kW – 3.6 kW):	6 – 12 hours (dependent on size of EV battery & SOC)
Fast charging AC (7 kW – 22 kW):	3 – 8 hours (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Rapid charging AC (43 kW):	0-80%: 20 mins to 60 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Rapid charging DC (50 kW+):	0-80%: 20 mins to 60 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Ultra rapid charging DC (150 kW+):	0-80% : 20 mins to 40 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Tesla Supercharger (120 kW – 250 kW):	0-80%: up to 25 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)

• Note 1: SoC: state of charge

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Dimensions
Height (mm):	1570
Width (mm):	1770
Length (mm):	4290
Wheelbase (mm):	2700
Turning Circle (m):	N/A
Boot Space (L):	345

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BYD Dolphin
EV Battery Capacity:	60 kWh
Pure Electric Range (WLTP):	427 km
Electric Energy Consumption (kWh/100km):	15.9
Charging:	88 kW DC rapid charging (30%-80%: 29 mins). Onboard charger 11 kW AC (0%-100%: 6 hrs 30 mins)/ 7 kW AC (0%-100% : 9 hrs 42 mins)
Top Speed:	160 km/h
0-100 km/h:	7.0 seconds
Drive:	Front-wheel drive (FWD)
Max Power (PS):	204 (150 kW)
Torque (Nm):	310
Transmission:	Automatic
Seats:	5
Doors:	5
Kerb Weight (kg):	1,405
Colours:	7
NCAP Safety Rating:	N/A

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Solar And EV Charging: An Overview

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The benefits of renewable energy, in particular, solar and wind energy, is already well established in India and in other parts of the world. With the increase in sales of electric vehicles (EVs) over the past three years, the advantages of using clean and renewable energy has been further enhanced.

Firstly, on-site renewable energy systems can be used for powering, both, business premises and homes. For on-site generation, we have witnessed a significant increase in distributed clean energy generating plants i.e. many commercial buildings and residential buildings have become generators i.e. generating electricity on-site!  Solar roof projects have been popular for such on-site generation installations.

The war in Ukraine has further amplified the need to develop energy security, not only at a national level, but also at a local level, to include, businesses and households. Those households and businesses that already generate and consume clean energy on-site have been spared the significant onslaught of energy price rise in 2022 and 2023.

Installing solar panels on-site, mitigates the risks associated with energy price inflation, a significant contributor to costs for a business or a household. On-site renewable energy generation also impacts the environment positively. For those with electric vehicles (EVs), in particular, pure electric vehicles, we strongly encourage the use of renewable energy for EV charging. Of course, we also encourage the use of solar energy for charging a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).

Apart from the significant cost benefit i.e. generating renewable energy is a nominal cost per kWh (after initial set-up/ installation costs), to achieve true zero-tailpipe emission electric driving, renewable energy needs to be used for EV charging. This is also known as ‘well-to-wheel’. Just one electric car on the road can save an average of 1.5 million grams of CO2.

The good news for electric car owners is that a number of EV charging stations are now compatible with solar/ wind generation and battery storage. The UK based manufacturer myenergi zappi is a good example of a solar/ wind compatible EV charger.

We encourage business and households to adopt an on-site ecosystem of ‘renewable energy-battery storage-EV charging’, to gain the maximum from the advantages of low carbon generation and zero-emission electric driving. Bottom-line, renewable energy is good for the environment and the wallet!

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While e-zoomed uses reasonable efforts to provide accurate and up-to-date information, some of the information provided is gathered from third parties and has not been independently verified by e-zoomed. While the information from the third party sources is believed to be reliable, no warranty, express or implied, is made by e-zoomed regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of any information. This disclaimer applies to both isolated and aggregate uses of this information.

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