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BYD Han Presents Range Upgrade and Goes From 605 Km to 715 Km

In China, just some NEVs (new energy vehicles) make the cut to be exempt from the vehicle purchase tax. The MIIT (Ministry of Industry and Information Technology) is the department that decides about that. In its latest list, it revealed that a revised version of the BYD Han EV has an 18.2% longer range than the current vehicle. Instead of 605 kilometers (376 miles), it gets 715 km (444 mi).
Updated BYD Han EV 10 photos
Photo: MIIT/BYD
Rendering of the BYD Han convertible that is circulating in Chinese social mediaBYD is creating a station wagon based on the HanBYD is creating a station wagon based on the HanBYD is creating a convertible car based on the HanBYD is creating a convertible car based on the HanBYD celebrated 150,000 Han units sold since its presentationBYD celebrated 150,000 Han units sold since its presentationUpdated BYD Han EVUpdated BYD Han EV
Despite some aesthetical changes, the Han EV still presents an 85.44-kWh Blade Battery – with LFP (lithium iron phosphate) cells. With that in mind, the range improvement in the RWD derivative may be due to efficiency gains BYD has implemented. Another possibility is that the Chinese automaker reduced the buffering: the current model has a usable capacity of 76.9 kWh. Finally, it may have shifted to a higher voltage, just like the BYD Dolphin. With 800V instead of whatever the Han EV currently works on (we did not find that information), it may also charge faster.

Unfortunately, the Chinese website IT Home did not reveal if the MIIT documentation clarifies what changed to make the Han EV a more frugal machine. It also forgot to mention under which testing cycle the BYD presented the former and current numbers, but it is very likely that the automaker tested it under the NEDC cycle.

The good news is that the improvements also extended to Han’s AWD version. Instead of the 550 km (340 mi) the EV used to get, it can now run 610 km (379 mi), a 10.9% increase compared to the previous numbers. While that could mean that the car is slower or less powerful, that was not the case.

It seems BYD’s gains are deeply connected with the new front-axle motor. Instead of producing 163 kW (219 hp), it now generates 180 kW (241 hp). They are lower on the AWD because the rear motor seems to have had no changes: it presents the same 200 kW (268 hp) that the older Han EV offered.

The improved Han EV will not be restricted to the Chinese market. BYD is currently expanding its operations and selling cars in many new markets. The Han EV has already been seen in California, for example. It would be interesting to see it compete with the Tesla Model S in its home market.
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About the author: Gustavo Henrique Ruffo
Gustavo Henrique Ruffo profile photo

Motoring writer since 1998, Gustavo wants to write relevant stories about cars and their shift to a sustainable future.
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