Unveiled at the IAA Transportation show in Hanover, Germany, BYD’s big, battery-powered, E-Vali van looks set to appear on this side of the Channel during the second half of next year. The Chinese electric vehicles giant already sells cars in the UK, but the E-Vali will be its first light commercial, and will be sold through a dedicated dealer network.
“It grosses at 3.5 tonnes but can go up to 4.25 tonnes,” said product manager, Dirk Zhou.
Designed specifically for the European market, E-Vali comes with two different wheelbases (3,865mm or 4,550mm), one overall height (2,780mm) and a load cube of either 13.9m3 or 17.9m3. Payload capacity goes up to 1,450kg.
Claimed range between recharges is from 220km/137 miles to 250km/156 miles and its 150kW electric motor is powered by an 80.6kWh LFP – Lithium Iron-Phosphate – battery pack.
The batteries can be recharged to 80% of their capacity from an initial 10% in approximately 30 minutes using a rapid charger, says the manufacturer.
Access to the cargo area is by means of twin rear doors, a sliding side door, and a door in the bulkhead that divides the cab from the load bay.
In-cab features include Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with over-the-air updates as part of the iCloud service with the benefit of voice recognition. An electrically-adjustable driver’s seat is fitted, so is wireless smartphone charging, and the dashboard features a cool box.
Driver assistance systems include adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, rear cross traffic alert, automatic emergency braking, lane departure assist and blind spot detection.
LED headlights are part of the package and integrating the electric motor, the battery management system and the power distribution unit with other key components into a single module should make for ease of maintenance.
Initially available as a van, a chassis cab will follow, Zhou says.
“E-Vali is rear-wheel-drive but we also have a 4×4 version,” he added.
The initials BYD stand for Build Your Dreams. The Shenzhen-based company makes other light commercials but there is as yet no indication as to whether they will be marketed in the UK.
