New BYD Dolphin Cargo e-Van offers 265-mile range and commercial practicality for £36k
BYD’s electric city car has gone commercial with a new van variant that should offer a class-leading range...
On sale Autumn Price from £36,305 (incl. VAT)
To have your fingers in many pies means to be involved in lots of different things, and if there’s a brand that embodies that phrase, then BYD fits the bill. Not only does it offer petrol and electric offerings in the form of its many passenger cars, it’s also now stepping into the commercial vehicle space with the launch of the new BYD Dolphin Cargo e-Van.
Based on the all-electric Dolphin city car, the new Cargo e-Van rips the rear seats out of that model to create a practical load space to appeal to small businesses. It’ll be one of just a few car-based vans on the market, rivalling the similarly-dinky Citroën ë-C3 electric van and Dacia Spring Cargo.
The Dolphin Cargo e-Van will be powered by the same 60.5kWh battery that’s found under the bonnet of the regular Dolphin, alongside a 201bhp electric motor. Like the passenger car, it offers an official range of up to 265 miles, which is further than both the ë-C3 van and Spring Cargo, which manage 200 miles and 140 miles respectively. It’s also further than some small electric vans, including the Renault Kangoo E-Tech, which has an official 186-mile range.
Like the passenger car, the Dolphin Cargo e-Van comes equipped with vehicle-to-load (V2L) capabilities, meaning you can charge up external devices using the battery. Buyers will also be able to opt for a 70mph speed limiter to optimise efficiency.
Removing the rear seats of the Dolphin has created a load space of 1093 litres in the back of the Dolphin Cargo e-Van, including a 47-litre underfloor space. That’s slightly more than the Spring Cargo, which offers 1085 litres, but it’s not as practical as the ë-C3 van, which offers 1220 litres. The Dolphin Cargo e-Van also has a maximum load length of 1250mm.
No official payload figures have been revealed, but we’d expect them to be similar to those of the ë-C3 van and Spring Cargo, which have modest capacities of 302kg and 370kg respectively.
As standard, the Dolphin Cargo e-Van comes with a heat pump to help improve efficiency in colder weather, as well as a heated steering wheel, heated front seats, a 360-degree parking camera and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring compatible with its 12.8in infotainment touchscreen.
Prices for the BYD Dolphin Cargo e-Van start at £29,358 excluding VAT, which is significantly pricier than what you’d pay for the Citroën ë-C3 van and Dacia Spring Cargo.
For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here
