Earlier this month, the Chinese giant Build Your Dreams (BYD) announced that it wanted to gain a foothold in Europe with the fully electric Tang. BYD doesn’t stop there. The brand is also going to market a fully electric sedan in Europe.
The Han is a farm-fresh sedan that has already been presented to the Chinese consumer as a fully electric variant and a plug-in hybrid version. BYD is now also introducing the electric variant to Europe.
The Han EV measures 4.98 meters in length, is 1.91 meters wide and 1.5 meters high. That makes it quite a battleship. This makes the car ten centimeters longer than the Toyota Camry. The eccentrically lined Han EV is available in China with two types of electric powertrains. The first is only front-wheel drive and has a 222 hp electric motor. The front-wheel drive variant has the same unit on the front axle, but also has a 272 horsepower unit that powers the rear axle. This four-wheel drive variant rumbles in just 3.9 seconds to a speed of 100 km / h. The most powerful is currently the only powertrain mentioned in the Han EV versions intended for the European market. BYD mentions a range of 605 kilometers, although this has been determined via the customary China method, which is not very accurate, as the NEDC.
The Han EV seems to be quite well equipped in Europe. The sedan has a sumptuous-looking interior in which we encounter not only attractive-looking materials, but also two digital screens, one of which functions as an instrumentation. BYD announces the arrival of DiPilot, self-learning software that adapts the extensive range of passive and active safety systems based on ‘experiences’. The Han EV is equipped with an emergency braking system, Forward Collision Warning System, adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection and even with Lane Keeping Assistance. By combining these systems, the Han EV can operate to a certain extent semi-autonomously in one lane. BYD further reports that the model has 5G connectivity.
BYD even dares to mention an estimated European recommended price of between € 45,000 and € 55,000. This brings the model in terms of price range in the water of the Tesla Model 3, although the Han EV is a much larger car.
As mentioned, the Tang electric SUV is the first passenger car to bring BYD to Europe. This type is first sold in Norway via the Norwegian company RSA, but will undoubtedly also come to other European markets. BYD probably follows the same path with this Han EV.