A little-known Chinese brand is poised to introduce Australia's newest electric van – which will also be the cheapest electric car on sale to date.
TrueGreen Mobility – the Australian importer for Chinese automotive brand BYD – has confirmed plans to bring the T3 electric van onto the local market for “less than $35,000.” “Order books will open next month, with the first deliveries planned by September [2021],” TrueGreen Mobility CEO Luke Todd said “This is a dedicated workhorse two-seat fleet vehicle, geared towards the home-delivery and tradie markets … we expect it to be a big seller.”
The BYD T3 will be only the second fully electric van on sale in Australia. French car maker Renault conducted a small fleet trial with an electric version of the Kangoo with Australia Post in 2015, before it was made available to the public from 2018 priced from $52,527 drive-away.
If the quoted target price is to be believed, the BYD T3 is set to become Australia’s cheapest electric vehicle by almost $10,000. For reference, the MG ZS EV small SUV – which is also built in China – currently holds bragging rights, starting at $43,990 drive-away.
Measuring 4460mm from nose to tail, the zero-emission van is reportedly capable of holding up to 3800 litres of cargo. That gives it comparable storage to the short-wheelbase Volkswagen Caddy.
However, the T3 powertrain struggles when compared the competition – drive comes from an AC permanent magnet synchronous motor, sending a tame 70kW/180Nm to the front wheels via a single-speed transmission.
An official spec sheet notes the vehicle is capable of accelerating from 0-50km/h in a claimed 6.5 seconds, on the way to an electronically-limited top speed of just 100km/h.
Energy is drawn from a 49.2kWh lithium-ion ‘Blade’ battery pack, allowing for a claimed range of 300km between charges on the more lenient NEDC cycle.
Earlier this year TrueGreen Mobility confirmed plans to import a similarly priced high-riding hatch known overseas as the EA1, with the first deliveries expected in the first quarter of 2022 (January to March inclusive).
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