BYD’s Han With Blade Battery EV Series Officially On Sale

New EV series is BYD’s flagship offering for the global luxury sedan segment Shanghai- BYD's long-anticipated flagship full-sized sedan, the BYD Han, eventually hit the market on July 12. Priced between 229,800 yuan ($32,820) and 279,500 yuan ($39,918), the BEV version comes with three variants. Besides, the PHEV version, namely, the Han DM, is sold at 219,800 yuan ($31,391).

(BYD Han EV)

With dimensions of 4,980mm/4,960mm long, 1,910mm wide and 1,495mm tall and a wheelbase spanning 2,929mm, the BYD Han plays in the league of full-sized sedans. Thanks to a silhouette of a four-door coupe, the new vehicle features a drag coefficient of 0.233 Cd, lowered than that of the Tesla Model S. 

The BYD Han touts the equipment of the DiPilot, BYD's brand-new advanced driver assistance system, and the battery blade.

As one of major parts of the DiPilot, the DiDAS contains such active safety functions as lane-keeping assist, traffic jam assist and collision warning, as well as other driver assistance features like adaptive cruise control, automatic parking and panoramic imaging system.

Based on the functions of the DiDAS and specific algorithm, the DiTrainer is designed as an active learning model that is able to systematically learn drivers' behaviors, so as to predetermine drivers' next moves and interfere in their driving actions as appropriate. For instance, the lane keeping assist function will be activated when holding straight directions always rebels against a driver attempt.

The BYD Han is the first mass-produced model that carries the "blade battery", a new type of lithium iron phosphate battery (LFP battery) BYD formally launched on March 29.

The "blade battery" is named according to its shape, which is more flat and elongated than traditional square batteries. It is virtually longer battery cell arranged together in an array and inserted into the battery pack like a "blade".

Dispensing with module, the internal structure of the battery system becomes simpler, which results in more stable performance and lower failure rate.

Powering by the blade battery, the BYD Han EV offers to NEDC-rated ranges—550km and 605km. The BEV version is available for two powertrain solutions. The two-wheel drive one's electric motor can pump out up to 163kW and 330 N·m of peak torque; the four-wheel drive version is good for 363kW and 680 N·m, and can zip from a standstill to 100km/h within in 3.9 second.

(BYD Han DM)

The Han DM version is fitted with a plug-in hybrid power package composed of a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine and an electric motor, which renders a combine output of 321kW and 650 N·m. It has a NEDC-rated range of 81km in EV-only mode (photo source: BYD).