Australia's cheapest EV? BYD EA1 electric car revealed

BYD has revealed a revolutionary new electric hatchback with a 1000 kilometre range and sub 3.0-second acceleration that will be sold in Australia.

Revealed at the 2021 Shanghai Motor Show, the BYD EA1 hatchback rides on the brand's new e-Platform 3.0 and receives power from the new 800-volt “Blade” battery claimed to be capable of receiving 150km worth of charge every five minutes.

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Battery capacity is yet to be revealed, but according to the Chinese carmaker, it will provide enough power to catapult the unassuming little hatchback from 0 to 100km/h in under 3.0 seconds.

The battery cells are directly integrated into the vehicle's structure which frees up space and provides more structural rigidity, as well as safety, in the event of an accident.

From the few pictures we've seen it appears there will be a standard and hot-hatch version, though it's unclear if each variant will be capable of the same performance.

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BYD's Australia's distributor, Nexport, has confirmed the EA1 will be coming to Australia, but was unable to reveal further information due to an embargo, so it's unclear if this will be the hatch that's rumoured to arrive in Australia this winter with a sub-$35,000 price tag or if that will be the BYD E2 which was first introduced in 2019.

Nexport is expected to start selling BYD models here during the next 12 months, including the Tesla Model 3-rivalling Han sedan, the Tang electric SUV, a plug-in hybrid crossover called Song, and the BYD Qin small sedan.

As well as importing cars, Nexport aims to assemble BYD buses and cars on a $700 million 51-hectare site in Moss Vale, NSW.

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