Impressive range and step-off are announced for the EA1 – and it could be a cheapie, too.

A SMALL electric hatchback with a 1000 kilometre range and a sub three seconds acceleration seems set to be part of a sales push by a Chinese brand seeking to establish here.

The EA1 hatchback is a product of BYD – for ‘Build Your Dreams’ - revealed at this week’s Shanghai motor show in standard and performance themes. 

The BYD brand has recently announced intention to begin sales in New Zealand and Australia, via an independent distributor, Nexport.

Media in Australia have suggested the EA1 will become a star model in a line-up also expected to include a Tesla Model 3-rivalling sedan called the Han, an electric sports utility called Tang, a plug-in hybrid crossover called Song and potentially the Qin, a small sedan.

This car, and a concept also on display, are the first products designed under the direction of the make’s newly-appointed global head of design Wolfgang Egger, a German formerly of Audi.

The EA1’s enormous driving performance and range arrive as result of it employing BYD’s latest technology, the brand says. The quoted figures for energy consumption and range might be treated with circumspection as China calculates with the NEDC formula, which is now considered outdated. The latest standard is WLTP.

The car is the first on a new e-Platform 3.0 and an 800-volt ‘Blade’ battery claimed to be capable of receiving 150km worth of charge every five minutes. 

Battery capacity is yet to be revealed, but according to the Chinese carmaker, it will provide enough power to catapult the five-door from standstill to 100kmh in under 3.0 seconds – a feat that presently restricts to high-performance supercars and the fastest Teslas and is beyond any other small EV sold anywhere.

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. 

The website for Australia’s Wheels magazine says Nexport has confirmed the EA1 will be coming, but was unable to reveal further information due to an embargo.

The distributor has claimed that it will place a small BYD car in a price zone that will reset the entry price for a new electric car, however it is unclear if that status will fall to the EA1 or another like-sized model, the BYD E2 which was first introduced in 2019.