BYD Atto3 launch event notes | Key takeaways

By Kamlesh & Abhishek

The PluginIndia team were invited to the BYD Atto3 electric SUV ​unveil event. Build your Dreams (BYD) have started selling passenger electric cars in the Indian market with appointment of dealers all over India. ​Here is our documentation and some key takeaways from the day.

Video: BYD Atto3 Electric SUV Launch Day: Key takeaways

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We had the pleasure of listening to Mr Sanjay Gopalakrishnan, senior VP for electric PV & Mr Shrirang Joshi, head sales at BYD India, about BYD's evolution over more than two decades and plans for India.
Here are some of the highlights.

• BYD entered the Lithium-Ion battery business in 1996
• They enter the passenger car market in 2003
• Warren Buffet acquires a stake in BYD in 2008
• In 2011, BYD's electric bus fleet is put in operation.
• In 2018, BYD holds the Worldwide Developers Conference, the first developers conference in the automotive industry's 132-year history.
• The LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) blade cell and battery pack was unveiled in 2020
• In 2021, BYD launches the e-Platform 3.0, exclusively designed for next generation of electric vehicles.
• BYD becomes the world's largest manufacturer of new energy vehicles in 2022
• The turnover of BYD group in the year 2021 was $ 33.5 billion. BYD has presence in 400 cities, 70 countries.
• BYD are operating in four main industries
  • Electronics
  • Renewable energy & Solar and energy storage products
  • Rail transit
  • Auto business 
• BYD has around 40,000 people in RnD and have 25,000 patents. BYD are a tech company and 1.4 B $ was spent on RnD last year.
• BYD also is in semiconductor manufacturing where they make - IGBT chips and SIC module control units.
• 2.3 million new energy vehicles (Battery Electric Vehicles + Plugin Hybrid EV) have been sold globally
  • All of these vehicles have been using BYD's in-house batteries

Mr Sanjay Gopalakrishnan talking about BYD's vertical integration

BYD's Battery RnD for more than 2 decades

• The BYD Blade battery has been developed with better utilization of space and has passed the nail penetration test, where the cells do not catch fire.
  • ​The blade batteries support long range capacity upto 1000 km. They also have a long lifespan of more than 5 lakh km.
  • They also support fast charging of upto 150 km in 5 minutes.
  • The Blade Battery successfully passes the nail penetration test, the most rigorous way to test the thermal runaway of batteries. While undergoing nail penetration tests, Blade Battery emits neither smoke nor fire after being penetrated, and its surface temperature only reaches 30 to 60 ° C. Under the same conditions, a ternary lithium battery mostly exceeds 500 ° C and violently burns, and while a conventional lithium iron phosphate block battery does not openly emit flames or smoke, its surface temperature reaches dangerous temperatures of 200 to 400 ° C. That shows the Blade Battery is ultra-safe.
• BYD's e-Platform 3.0 supports a high efficiency drivetrain of upto 89%
  • e-Platform 3.0 features the world's first 8-in-1 high efficiency electric powertrain (with motor, motor controller, reducer, onboard charger, DC converter, high-voltage distribution box, vehicle controller, and BMS integrated in 1 unit). The overall efficiency can reach 89%*, world-leading in the industry.
  • The high efficiency heat pump system increases thermal efficiency by up to 20% while reducing energy loss, and can work at temperatures from -30°C to 60°C, which increases the range by up to 20% in winter.
  • e-Platform 3.0 deeply integrates the driving, braking and the steering system.
• The independently developed BYD OS decouples hardware and software, offering a collaboration system for high levels of intelligent driving.

BYD India

• In 2013 BYD got the first electric bus in India. 
• The E6 electric MUV was launched in 2021 with range of 500 km real customers are getting. Some fleet operators have completed 30,000 km.
  • In 2022 BYD delivered 500 BYD e6 electric MUV.
• BYD have delivered 800 buses delivered in 11 cities, with a single bus has done 4 lakh km
• The Electric Truck business will be launched soon with 350 vehicles
• BYD India has opened 9 showrooms and more coming soon for service and sales. They are fully committed to the Indian market. 76,774,796 kg of CO2 was saved in India as of 2022.

BYD Atto3 Electric SUV

• Atto3 name is inspired by attosecond, which is a unit of time in the International System of Units equal to 1×10⁻¹⁸ of a second
• The Atto3 is designed by a global team lead by Wolfgang Egger who is a car designer from Germany, a former Audi Group head designer, now at BYD.
• He has created a streamline body and Dragon Face 3.0 for Atto 3
• The Atto3 has a one piece through LED tail light. 
• The Aerodynamic co-efficient drag is 0.29 CD
• The Boot has capacity of 340 L 
• The interiors feature Dumbbell style AC vents, Push type electronic gear Lever, Door trim that makes music. There is also a rotating 12.8 adaptive touchscreen.
• The Atto3 has a Vehicle to Load feature with 3.3 kW AC output 
• Atto3 has 7 airbags and automated systems called ADAS with driving sensors that provides drivers with inputs.
• The Atto3 has an ARAI range of 521 km with a 60.48 kWh battery. It supports 0 to 80% Fast charging at 80 kW
• There are 4 color choices - Blue, Red, Grey, White
• What is included?
  • 7 KW home charger installed included
  • 3 kW portable charger
  • 3 years subscription costs is included
  • Warranty is for 8 years/1,60,000 km on the battery pack.
  • 8 years/1,50,000 Km for motor and electronics

BYD Targets for India

• BYD India wants to have a production capacity of 10,000 vehicles per Annum
• They want to up the production to 15,000 vehicles 
• BYD India wants to own 40% market share in India in the coming years
• The aim is to have 53 passenger vehicle showrooms