The BYD Han doesn't have the range and pedigree of a Tesla Model S, and it's not as polished and futuristic as the Mercedes EQE, but it's tailor-made for executives who want to put in their first electric car that's respectable enough, but also not eye-popping.
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In the business world, as in the automotive world, there are stars and there is everything else. And whatever the star of the moment, CEO and founder of Nvidia, Jensen Huang, the first chip manufacturer to reach a trillion dollar value, will say now, will be discussed and quoted. Just like the next tweet by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Neurolink and founder of OpenAi. Although there are thousands of other managers who are no less successful in their field.
The incessant talk about Tesla models is also derived from Musk's popularity. Go compete with the electric Model 3 or Model S with an electric Chinese sedan that doesn't have Musk as a presenter, at most Warren Buffett as an investor. Certainly when you enter a market where there are also BMW with the i4 and Mercedes with the EQE. Does BYD Han even have a chance here?
BYD, for those who haven't looked around on the roads and parking lots in recent months, is today the best-selling car in Israel, not only the best-selling electric car, but the best-selling car in general, with the Auto 3 crossover model. In a suit and tie to work every morning.
It's a coupe-style sedan, a bit like Tesla's sedans, but with more nickel for old-world respectability. The passenger compartment is also of the old world, and that's actually for the better. The Han is no less sophisticated than Tesla, but less sophisticated. There is a 12.8-inch digital dashboard for the driver in addition to a huge 15.6-inch multimedia screen that rotates on its side from horizontal to vertical at the push of a button. As usual at BYD, the quality of materials and production is good.
The clearance is excellent in the front and even more in the back. There it stands out as a real saloon car, which knows that the really important people are sitting there. Not only because of the generous space, including for the passenger in the middle, thanks to a flat floor, but also because of the electric adjustment, the ability to control the climate control temperature separated from a digital screen, the panoramic sun window, the stereo, and even move the driver's seat.
But not everything is perfect: the car is a bit low, which makes getting in and out less comfortable for those who are used to tall vehicles. There is still no Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, the importer promises that they will join soon, and the trunk, with a volume of only 410 liters, is not impressive in size and certainly not in the rather narrow opening. The equipment is very generous, and includes, in addition to everything we have already mentioned, even a selfie camera, a Dynaudio stereo, light 19-inch rims, leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats and an excellent overhead display.
The safety equipment includes all the usual active systems, including autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping system, blind spot detection and rear cross traffic warning. What it does not have is a score in the European crash test, which has not yet tested it, although it is already sold in Norway and is now being launched in other Western European countries as well.
Han (Photo: Udi Etzion)Han has two electric motors, one for the front axle and one for the rear, which creates a dual drive with a combined power of 518 hp, a drive system that it shares with the large seven-seat crossover Tang. The manufacturer's data promises 3.9 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h, That is very close to the base Tesla Model S figures. I didn't measure, but the performance is excellent, even if you choose "slow" and "economical" among the three driving modes. You will always be first at the traffic lights, with the performance also creating many more opportunities to overtake.
With a length of 5 meters, a width of 1.91 meters, a height of 1.5 meters and a wheelbase of 2.92 meters, it's a big car, and at 2.3 tons it's not exactly light either. And yet the high grip created by the dual drive allows it to be very fast even in turns, when the controls prevent the understeer created by the generous power. But this is a fast car, not a sports car.
Adaptive suspensions provide very good ride comfort and better than usual in trams, and the ride is quiet thanks to good noise insulation. electricity use? With an 85 kWh battery, the manufacturer promises 521 kilometers. In practice, the average electricity consumption during the test days was 22 kWh, more at the level of 400 kilometers. But calm driving will allow 450 kilometers.
Fast charging is possible with a power of up to 120 kW, not very fast relative to the size of the battery, and the slow charger allows charging at a rate of 7.4 kW, also not very fast. But it has the ability to charge electric cars and appliances (V2L), and is even supplied with a suitable cable, when other importers send you to purchase it separately.
Bottom line, BYD Han is not perfect. The safety systems are sometimes annoying with somewhat paranoid alerts, too many operating functions require wandering between screens and the loading rate is a bit slow. It does not have the range and pedigree of the Tesla Model S, and it is not as polished and futuristic as the Mercedes EQE, but at a price of NIS 335,000, it is NIS 200-300,000 cheaper than both, which is a lot. And it is fast, comfortable, spacious and equipped as a saloon car should be.
The Han is tailor-made for managers who want to place a first electric car park that will be respectable enough, but also not eye-popping. To show the environment that this is a manager in the spirit of the times, and to the board of directors that he is one who manages money correctly in times of slowdown, and manages to bring a good deal even in the compact car section. Value for money is no longer a dirty word in the saloon car market either.
