Updated 14-Dec-2024
Sometimes there is a confluence of innovations, both technological, and economic, which conspire to prompt a purchase. Now it is that time for me, concerning the 2024 BYD Dolphin Standard Range. Reasons for buying:
- Phenomenal price 570,000 THB (~16,500 USD, ~15,500 EUR)
- This is highly discounted, even since January 2024 when it was 130,000 THB more expensive.
- Note that prices in the UK and elsewhere are much more expensive (twice as much in the UK)
- BYD expertise and engineering
- BYD market share and growth
- Excellent design
- Earliest view of the Dolphin (AE1) highlighting the tech (YouTube)
- Map of charging stations in Thailand
Size comparison with Honda Jazz
I like the Honda Jazz and have rented one many times. This is how the Dolphin compares in spatial terms:
- BYD Dolphin is bigger than Honda Jazz: 20cm longer, 1.4cm taller, 7.6cm wider (4.6cm with mirrors), 16% more cargo, and a wheelbase 18cm longer (larger turning radius).
- BYD Dolphin is a COMPACT car, but Honda Jazz is SUB-COMPACT. The Dolphin is a bigger and better and cheaper car than the Honda Jazz. A little bigger to drive, so be careful.
Features of the BYD Dolphin
- Decent range (Thailand standard range has 50.25 kWh battery, 340-430 km range)
- Overall decent design
- 160,000 km / 8 year warranty
- Uses the BYD Blade battery design (safe)
- Overall good size (especially for town car), slightly upsized from China version, to cross the B (subcompact) to C (compact) model.
- Compares well with 1978 Volvo 244 DL (my previous excellent city / family car)
- Shorter than the Volvo by 7cm, slightly wider, slightly taller, slightly lower
- 95bhp vs. 92bhp in the Volvo
- 10.5 m vs. 9.8 m (fantastic Volvo turning radius)
- 195/60R16 in the Dolphin compared with 195/60R15 wheels and tires
- PM 2.5 system included
- Multiple USB-C and USB-A ports
- Android auto
- Large 12" screen + 5" screen
- Included V2L / V2H adapter to power external devices (using an extension cable)
- In Thailand, the 50.25 kWh battery is 10.6% larger than the previous standard 44.9 kWh
It may seem a bit odd comparing a 2024 (2021 model) vehicle with a 1978 (1974 model) vehicle (the models being 47 years apart). However, human and transit ergonomics haven't changed at all in 50 years. Therefore, a smaller turning radius is great for making U-turns now and in the past, same with width, length, etc. Indeed, modern car and truck manufacturing would have us believe that roads are widening a centimeter every two years. Madness. Indeed the 170cm Volvo vs. 177cm of the BYD Dolphin is somewhat concerning (and a turning radius of 10.5m vs. 9.8m). Even the electric Mini is 172cm wide, making it (as a mini) quite large. Yes, perhaps some safety and crumple zone issues require the widening of a car, though not to an extreme.
Color and Trim
- White is both the most popular color and also is safer in terms of accident risk (dark colors correlate with more accidents), and therefore is the safer choice (accident and resale-wise).
- Standard Trim with Standard Range is the best priced model and therefore trumps other considerations (though the upscale version with all-glass retractible sunroof, and the doubling of horsepower, would be nice, it isn't necessary or worth the additional cost).
Thailand EV market
- In 2023, 12% of vehicles sold were EVs, with the first quarter of 2024 seeing that rise to 15%. BYD is the largest brand (selling more than second and third place combined), with Neta, MG, Tesla, and Great Wall (Ora) rounding out the top 5 in sales.
- Thailand is 10th in the world for vehicle production and first in Southeast Asia. Government incentives and relative financial stability has encouraged increasing investment into Thailand with a large local market and export-friendliness into ASEAN and Europe. The strategy for EVs as well as ICE vehicles is clear: export, export, export.
- Huge amount of investments in car and battery manufacturing in Thailand, by the likes of Mercedes, BMW, and a slew of Chinese manufacturers with Japanese and Koreans currently following suit. Isuzu will be manufacturing an electric 1-ton truck in 2025.
- In thailand, we are set for 20% of all new vehicle purchases in 2024. With the Technology Adoption Curvehttps://whatfix.com/blog/technology-adoption-curve/, we are clearly crossing into the mid-early majority buyers.
Global EV growth
- ASEAN sales are up to around 10% of all automotive, with aggressive targets and policies in Viet Nam, Indonesia, The Philippines, and of course Thailand.
- January, 2023 worldwide sales of EVs reached 10% of all automotive. This is set to quadruple by 2030.
- While a rising tide can lift all boats, the antics of the Tesla CEO certainly hasn't done them any favors. Nevertheless, quality at Tesla is on the wane, competition is waxing, and an aged line-up are all having some effect. Personally, I would never buy a Tesla (even though I was a fan for a long time) as the boorishness is simply too much.
- Any prudent brand considering any Tesla partnership has to take Musk’s massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech, into account. -- Producers of Blade Runner 2049 sue Elon Musk -- Apparently, even those creating distopian landscapes find Musk too much.
BYD vs. Telsa
Tesla generated a lot of goodwill -- mainly due to incessant lying by the CEO -- and has burned all of that, and more. But let's compare Tesla with its nearest rival (in terms of BEV sales, profit, etc.), namely BYD.
- In terms of product design, BYD still has some plug-in hybrid vehicles, but Tesla does not (nor did it ever).
- Both companies have been created and sustained by strong government intervention, in their respective home countries (and so the US complaint about Chinese auto companies being subsidized by the Chinese government are certainly pot, kettle, black.
- While apparently Tesla uses BYD batteries in it's Berlin so-called "gigafactory", though mostly it uses batteries with Cobalt, and BYD uses it's Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) batteries, extremely safe and highly usable.
Managing the BYD Dolphin
- Diagnostic hardware (YouTube), not really necessary.
- Upgrade from Linglong tires? Actually, delivered vehicle came with Thai tires. No worries.
- New shocks? Somewhat expensive, may be of use. Still a bit bouncy even with sport mode on all settings.
- May need to buy stock dash-cam and install, that's a yes (~1,700 THB via Shopee), but still no rear-view cam. Need to purchase third party if wanted (for rear-end collision recording).
- Disable all automatic detections and notifications, but keep cruise control.
- Note: the BYD media player (which can access USB and SD Card files) does not support subtitles.
- The touchscreen lighting won't remember a manual setting, but the auto setting does the job well
- Still need to work out how cruise control and the lights work (many settings on the steering wheel)
- Some kind of air freshener? What would be non-toxic?
Supplemental and Third Party Accessories
- BYD dash cam (~2,000 THB, freely installed by BYD but bought online at Lazada)
- Back seat anti-kick pad (for the children, whose feet do not reach the floor yet)
- Window breaker and seat belt cutter (not in Standard model)
- Car cover, done
- 4 USB cables A-C x 2, C-C x2
- Umbrella
- Flash light + A-MicroUSB cable
- Cleaning chemicals and lint-free cloths
- Threshhold protectors (for stepping in / out of the car)
- Plastic bags and tissues for messes, cleanup
BYD Dolphin Light Settings
- Odd setting: the auto-display setting on the 12.8" touchscreen display does not work unless the headlight setting is on auto. Strange but true.
BYD Thailand manufacturing plant
Note, in Thailand the EVs available include from brands (in order of sales): BYD, Neta, MG, Tesla, Ora (Great Wall Motor). Also setting up EV manufacturing in Thailand are: Hozon, SAIC, Chonquing, Aion, and Chery from China, Hyundai and Kia from South Korea, and MB and BMW of Germany as well. Strangely, the new Nissan Leaf is available but has traveled upmarket and is now over 1.5m THB, nearly 3x the cost of a BYD Dolphin. Elsewhere in the world there are even more Chinese motor brands doing well, but for my money, BYD seems like it has the least risk, has good design, and a fantastic price, will be very difficult to beat.