Chinese giant brings first EV for under $30,000 to Australia
The “essentials” range is now open to orders expected to be delivered in Australia from March. The Dolphin is listed at $29,990 plus on-road costs, and models of the basic version of the Atto 3 sport utility vehicle start at $39,990 plus on-road costs.
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Compared to the standard version of these vehicles, the cheaper models come without a panoramic sunroof, heated seats, wireless phone charger or data plans. However, the Atto 3 and the Dolphin come with the same battery, with a listed driving range of around 350 kilometres.
Previously, the cheapest EV on sale in Australia was the MG4 at $30,990 drive away, but that price was temporarily and the car typically retails at around $38,000.
The first deliveries of BYD’s plug in hybrid electric ute, the Shark 6, will start next week, with the company reporting strong sales of 5500 placed on order to date.
BYD’s cheap EV coincides with a new round of government-backed cheap loans for EV buyers, which will cut one per cent from the standard interest rate on repayments offered by non-bank lender MetroEco.
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The government’s green bank, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, has committed $50 million to MetroEco’s funding pool, which it said would mean customers could save $1700 over five years on a $60,000 loan.
A previous round of this financing arrangement, which kicked off in July last year, delivered around 4000 loans for EV buyers by December.
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