Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD is selling a $20,000 electric sedan called the Dolphin in several overseas markets.
In its home country of China, the Dolphin starts at RMB 126,800 (about $17,000). In Malaysia, where BYD works with local car distributor Sime Darby Motors, the car is priced at RM 99,900 ($21,000). And in Germany, the Dolphin goes for €35,990 ($39,000).
The Dolphin comes standard with a 60 kilowatt-hour BYD blade battery and a heat pump system for enhanced efficiency. BYD says the car can accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph) in 7 seconds.
Our Thoughts
While BYD vehicles are not currently sold in the U.S., they do sell electric school bus and electric transit bus here.
In my view, vehicles in this $20,000 price range would aid the global transition toward sustainable transportation enormously if companies made them widely available to consumers in the United States and around the world. Getting more drivers into cheap, capable electric cars seems one of the fastest ways to reduce reliance on gas vehicles over the coming decade.