Is BYD bringing its cheapest EV to another overseas market? BYD will officially launch an electric car even smaller than the Dolphin in Australia, hinting it could be the low-cost Seagull EV.
BYD is known for its extremely affordable electric cars. Its cheapest EV, the Seagull, starts at under $10,000 (69,800 yuan) in China.
The Seagull was the top-selling EV in China in August, its sixth straight month claiming the title. In September, BYD sold another 43,425 Seagull models, pushing total sales over the 400,000 mark for the first time.
After dominating in its home market, BYD is looking overseas to drive growth. BYD’s Seagull, known as the Dolphin Mini, is already rolling out in key markets like Mexico and Brazil.
Even overseas, the Seagull (Dolphin Mini) is among the cheapest EV options, starting at around $20,000 (99,800 BRL, 358,800 pesos).
BYD is hinting it could launch its cheapest electric car in another key overseas market. David Smith, CEO of BYD’s Australian importer, EVDirect, confirmed to Drive that it plans to launch a vehicle smaller than the Dolphin.
BYD hints at Seagull EV launch in Australia
The Dolphin was Australia’s cheapest EV when it launched in 2023. However, the compact EV has since been undercut by aggressive price cuts on the MG 4 and GWM Ora.
After slashing the price by $2,000 (AUD), BYD’s Dolphin starts at $36,890. The MG 4, through a limited-time promo, begins at $30,990.
When asked if it would regain Australia’s cheapest electric car by cutting prices further, Smith hesitated, saying, “We always want to be competitive with our competitors, but we’re also cognisant of residual values.”
Smith added that BYD is “here for the long term ” and “we always want to put the brand first.” Fluctuating prices could damage that.
Meanwhile, that doesn’t mean a cheaper model is out of the playbook. BYD’s Australian import boss explained, “Yes, there are plans for smaller vehicles, smaller SUVs as well.”
At just 3,780 mm long, BYD’s Seagull is even smaller than the Chevy Bolt EV (4,145 mm) and Toyota Yaris (4,425 mm).
BYD Seagull Honor Edition trim
Starting Price
Range (CLTC)
Active
$9,700 (69,800 yuan)
190 mi (305 km)
Free
$10,500 (75,800 yuan)
190 mi (305 km)
Flying
$12,000 (85,800 yuan)
252 mi (405 km)
BYD Seagull Honor Edition prices and range
BYD’s Seagull EV is available in 30.88 kWh and 38.88 kWh BYD Blade Battery options in China. The former provides up to 190 miles (305 km) CTLC range, while the latter is rated with up to 252 miles (405 km) range.
The Seagull earned the nickname “mini Lamborghini” in China as former Lamborghini designer Wolfgang Egger led its design.
Despite its compact size, the mini EV is loaded with BYD’s latest software and connectivity tech. The center 10.1″ rotating infotainment features DiLink intelligent network connection.
The smaller SUV Smith mentioned is expected to be the new Yuan Up, slotted below BYD’s popular Atto 3 model.
BYD will expand its lineup in Australia with its first pickup, the Shark PHEV, which will be launching this week. After that, BYD plans to introduce its new Sealion 7 mid-size electric SUV with models from its luxury Denza and Yangwang brands confirmed for arrival.
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On today’s episode of Quick Charge, I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords. I’d like to remind them that, as a trusted media personality, I can be helpful in rounding up others to toil in their underground sugar caves cobalt mines.
We’ve also got the world’s quickest police pursuit vehicle, an Amnesty International report highlighting Tesla and Mercedes’ efforts to improve worker conditions in the Congo, and an exploration of Trump voters’ love for solar power.
Today’s episode is sponsored by BLUETTI, a leading provider of portable power stations, solar generators, and energy storage systems. For a limited time, save up to 50% during BLUETTI’s exclusive Black Friday pre-sale, now through November 11. Learn more by clicking here.
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Donald Trump will push fossil fuels and undo renewable energy policies, but it ultimately won’t stop clean energy’s momentum.
Trump has always pushed for more oil drilling and fewer regulations, left the Paris Agreement in his first term as president, says he hates “windmills,” promised to scrap offshore wind on “day one” if he won the 2024 election, and calls climate change a “scam.” And now that he’s won, this is a direct threat to the US’s pledge to reach net zero by 2050. After all, federal policy directly impacts the pace of renewable energy growth, especially when it comes to incentives and research funding.
The Biden administration’s groundbreaking Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which has spurred a clean energy boom, will be challenged under Trump. Because Republican states have received 80% of the IRA’s money with which they’ve built factories and created thousands of jobs, a complete IRA repeal is unlikely. What’s more probable is that the Republicans phase out tax credits earlier than planned or cap overall funding.
Federal financial support for innovative technologies and projects could also take a hit. Brendan Bell, COO of Aligned Climate Capital, who formerly led the US Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office, told Electrek:
My partner Peter and I led the DOE Loan Program Office under President Obama. We supported the first utility-scale solar and storage projects, as well as early EV investments – including the first loan to Tesla.
Today, these technologies are commercialized and are propelling the clean energy transition. None of it would have been possible if these programs had been cut off 10 years ago.
Put simply, Trump can’t turn back the tide of clean energy – but he could delay tomorrow’s solutions and the birth of new industries.
BloombergNEF’s “2H 2024 US Clean Energy Market Outlook,” released at the end of October, examined the worst-case scenario, where control of both the Senate and the House leads to a full repeal of the IRA tax credits:
The wind, solar, and energy storage sectors jointly see a 17% drop in total new capacity additions over 2025-2035, with 927 gigawatts (GW) of cumulative build compared to 1,118GW in BNEF’s base case forecast. Wind sees the greatest fall in activity in this scenario with a 35% drop, followed by energy storage at 15% and solar at 13% relative to BNEF’s base case.
That’s a blow we can’t afford at a time when we need to reduce emissions by 50% from 2005 levels by 2030 to avoid climate disasters becoming even worse than they already are.
But all is not lost. The clean energy market isn’t solely driven by federal policy. Over the last decade, solar, wind, and EVs have become more cost-competitive and popular. State policies play a huge role too, and many states are committed to their own clean energy goals regardless of who sits in the White House. States like California, New York, and Washington have ambitious targets to combat climate change, and deep red Texas is No. 1 in the US for both solar and wind.
Corporations are also key players. Companies like Amazon, Google, and Walmart have committed to going 100% renewable, and they’re not about to reverse course. This demand keeps the market for renewables strong. Plus, there’s significant public support for clean energy jobs, and renewables create more employment opportunities than fossil fuels in many regions of the country.
JD Dillon, chief marketing officer of California-based solar tech manufacturer Tigo Energy (Nasdaq: TYGO), said to Electrek, “The march toward renewable clean energy is both inevitable and the right thing to do. In a perfect world, we would eliminate partisanship from the renewable energy conversation because everyone benefits from a cleaner environment and affordable energy. Unfortunately, none of us live in said perfect world.”
The US clean energy sector may slow down, but it’s hard to stop a train that has already left the station. What consequences this slower-moving train will have for the US and the world remains to be seen.
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The world’s largest EV battery maker is advancing a new type of battery, promising higher energy density. According to a new local report, CATL is investing heavily while ramping up its workforce to bring all-solid-state EV batteries to market.
With trial production reportedly kicking off, we could see CATL launch all-solid-state EV batteries sooner than expected.
According to a new local report from LatePost (via CnEVPost), CATL has entered the trial production phase of 20 Ah samples. The news comes after the EV battery giant added over 1,000 workers to its R&D team this year.
The report claimed that CATL is now focused on the final Sulfide phase and has already commenced trial production of 20 Ah samples.
The company’s solution has an energy density of up to 500 Wh/kg for lithium ternary batteries, 40% more than current batteries. However, the report said charging speed and cycle life are not quite where they need to be.
At 20 Ah, the battery solution is finalized and ready for its next stage, production tech exploration.
CATL is advancing all-solid-state EV batteries
The report says after that it’s mainly manufacturing hurdles, that can be overcome with a bigger workforce.
In April, CATL’s chief scientist, Wu Kai, announced that the company had developed a verification platform for 10 Ah all-solid-state EV battery cells. Wu also said CATL aimed to produce all-solid-state EV batteries in small volumes in 2027, the first time the news was made public.
In September, the company’s chairman, Robin Zeng, said CATL’s research into the new battery tech was “second to none.”
Several companies, including Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and others, are betting on solid-state EV batteries as the future.
According to data from CnEVPost, CATL is dominating the global EV battery market with a 36.7% share through September 2024.
China’s BYD is second with a 16.4% share of the market. BYD is also planning to launch solid-state batteries. At the September 2024 World New Energy Congress, BYD’s head scientist and engineer, Lian Yubo, said solid-state EV batteries could be widely used in five years.
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