First Look: The BYD EA1 (Dolphin) Is A Funky All-Electric City Car

What is it?

The EA1 is the latest all-electric small car from Chinese automaker BYD, and when we heard there was a display model at our local BYD dealership, we knew we had to go take a look. While we refer to this model as the EA1, the official Chinese name is Haitun, the direct translation of which is “dolphin”.

While that’s a great name, and one that fits the car nicely, we have been able to confirm with BYD that this will almost certainly not be the official English name.

Outdoes the concept car

It’s not often that the production version of a car manages to outshine the concept, but that’s certainly the case with the EA1. When we first saw it at the Shanghai Auto Show, we thought it was a decent looking small car, but the final touches made prior to production have turned it into a truly eye-catching design.

When viewed from the front it’s unmistakably an EV, with a smooth, pebble-like shape reminiscent of flip-phones from the early-2000s. Everywhere you look, there are interesting details, from the patterns in the grill area, to the orange accents throughout the design. Those touches of color are a great compliment to the light and dark silver two-tone paint job on our test car.

The highlight, however, must be the taillights. Very similar to the ones found on the BYD Concept SUV, they take inspiration from a form of traditional Chinese knot tying, and the result is an LED strip that appears to be braided together.

Fishy in a good way   

Taking a seat inside the EA1 reveals an interior that manages to be even more interesting than its exterior. It is a solid combination of practicality and styling choices that we’ve never seen before. For example, the way that the transmission dial is neatly integrated into the row of buttons below the center screen creates a simple and uncluttered cabin space.

Perhaps simple isn’t quite the right word, as the interior of the EA1 abounds with interesting and often complex design touches. The oceanic theme is evident throughout, with door handles shaped like fins and seats emblazoned with a fish scale pattern. Even the dashboard is shaped like a wave, flowing down to encompass the 12.8-inch center screen.

Back seat space legroom is modest in the EA1, though one would expect as much from a city car. Rear headroom proved to be a more of an issue, particularly for those over 180cm (5’11”) in height. This is due in large part to a bump on the ceiling that sits just ahead of the passenger’s head. Hope you didn’t bring a friend, because there is also only a single cupholder and a single USB port.

Takeaway

All versions of the EA1 are powered by a front-mounted electric motor, but there are two power levels available. Base models come with 70 kW and 180 Nm or torque (94 hp and 133 lb-ft.), but if you spring for the top of line version, you get almost double the power, at 130 kW and 290 Nm of torque (174 hp and 214 lb-ft). These can be paired with 2 battery pack options 30.7 kWh or 44.9 kWh. That first one will give you a claimed NEDC range of 301 km, whereas the larger one offers 405 km.    

Official pricing for the EA1 ranges from 15,000 to 20,000 USD. Hopefully we’ll be bringing you a full review soon, including test drive.