An ultra-powerful electric car that can float on water like a boat? It’s possible, and that’s demonstrated by the global electric car giant BYD, Tesla’s competitor. With its new brand YangWang and its electric 4×4 the U8. But be careful, because its price and consumption are far too high!
Article updated on April 18, 2023 : On the occasion of the Shanghai show, BYD revealed the price and the complete technical characteristics of its impressive YangWang U8. As you can see from the technical sheet on the brand’s website, it’s simply impressive… but also very disappointing.
Indeed, the YangWang seems to be available in 100% electric, but this is not yet the case. Thus, the 1,000 km of autonomy are reserved for the plug-in hybrid version (PHEV) incorporating a 75-litre petrol tank and… a gigantic 49 kWh battery. The 100% electric autonomy is very low for this capacity, since BYD announces 180 km on the CLTC certification standard. Which would give about 150 km on our European WLTP standard. Or a gargantuan consumption of around 33 kWh / 100 km. This is even more than the RAM 1500 REV electric pickup, which was breaking records.
For prices, BYD had not lied to us, since these slightly exceed one million yuan, which translates into approximately 133,000 euros in gross conversion. It is quite simply the most expensive Chinese electric car on the market. Especially in case of importation in Europe, the price could rather be around 200,000 euros, for many reasons.
A competitor for the future Mercedes EQG? Not so sure, since Mercedes’ electric 4×4 should cost much less than that.
Original article from January 5, 2023 : BYD, the world number 2 in electric cars, has just unveiled its new SUV, the YangWang U8, at the Shanghai Motor Show. It targets a very luxurious public, lovers of beautiful, high-performance and adventurous cars. The vehicle is virtually unsinkable: it floats on water. But that’s not all, its technical data sheet is totally impressive.
If you diligently follow the automotive section of Frandroid, you must know the car manufacturer BYD, which is also a leader in the manufacture of batteries. If this is not the case, don’t panic, but we warn you right away: you will hear a lot about it in the months and years to come.
BYD is the world’s number two electric car, just behind Tesla. This Chinese giant recently arrived in Europe, and in particular in France, with three electric cars: Atto 3, Han and Tang, sold between 43,000 and 72,000 euros.
A very luxurious new range
To flood the market, BYD wants to go further and now wants overshadow prestige builders. To do this, BYD has just announced the creation of a dedicated brand (as can be seen on the live broadcast on Autohome), called YangWang, composed of two 100% electric models: an SUV, the Yangwang U8 and a hypercar, the YangWang U9 which we presented in detail in another news item. Let’s take a closer look at the first, the most civilized, so to speak.
With the YangWang U8, BYD wants to compete directly with Land Rover with its future electric Defender and Mercedes with its future EQG. We are in the presence of a resolutely top-of-the-range 4×4, with stunning performance and very good crossing abilities.
4 electric motors and phenomenal power
It is equipped with four motors, one per wheel, which gives it the possibility of turning on itself with crab mode, as we have seen on the Mercedes EQG. But above all, it ensures rock-solid road holding, thanks to the technology of the torque vectoringallowing each wheel to adjust its speed up or down as needed.
The car is based on an all-new platform, dubbed e4, which refers to the four engines. Each of the engines can provide power from 220 to 240 kW (300 to 325 hp) with a torque of 320 to 420 Nm. a maximum power of 1,100 horsepower and a truck torque of more than 1,000 Nm. BYD then announced a 0 to 100 km/h shot in less than 3 seconds for the electric SUV.
Each engine can go up to 20,500 revolutions per minute and BYD announces an energy efficiency of 97.7%. An efficiency approaching 98%, higher than the revolutionary motor present in the Lightyear 0 solar car, and potentially in the recently unveiled future Lightyear 2.
For comparison, the Tesla Model S Plaid announces a power of 1020 hp and 1,450 Nm of torque for a 0 to 100 km / h achieved in 2.1 seconds. Its engine is capable of rotating up to 23,000 revolutions per minute.
A car designed for offroad
The YangWang is a beautiful baby, with a length of 5.3 meters and a width of 2 meters with a wheelbase of 3.05 meters which should offer very good interior space. The door handles are retractable, to improve aerodynamics. On the side of the 20-inch wheels, there are extra wide tires of 275 mm in width.
The car is designed for adventurers: it is capable of driving at 120 km/h with a flat tire ! This is made possible by the four motors, which can continuously correct the torque to maintain the direction of the car. Even more impressive, the car can slow down from 100 to 0 km/h in just 40 meters (deceleration greater than 1 g), without mechanical braking, using only the regenerative braking of the motors. For comparison, a car usually brakes in about 36 meters, using the mechanical brakes.
The YangWang U8 is also capable of turning around within a diameter of 12 meters, without touching the steering wheel, thanks to the four motors which also allow it to turn 360° on itself on some coatings.
A boat or a car?
To take up Elon Musk’s idea with his Cybertruck, BYD’s SUV is waterproof (IP68 certified), which allows it to float on the surface of the water as we can see in the video at the bottom of the page. ‘article. The four independent motors will be able to help the car move through water, provided you have calm, flat water.
The rest of the spec sheet was not disclosed by BYD. But there are three sensors on the top of the windshield that look like LiDARs for autonomous driving.
Price and availability: it stings
Regarding the price, BYD’s new brand, YangWang, wants to sell cars between 800,000 and 1.5 million yuan, or between 110,000 and 210,000 euros at the current exchange rate.
The YangWang U8 should be sold in China around one million yuan, or about 140,000 euros. It is very likely that this new brand will arrive in Europe in the months or years to come. However, the tariffs are likely to be very high, with higher prices due to the import process in particular.
BYD, the Chinese giant, world number two in electric cars, is arriving in Europe and more particularly in France, with three models. The Atto 3, Han and Tang. We were able to board…
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