BYD to launch next-generation BEV platform next year

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Chinese automaker BYD is working on pre-research of the next-generation all-electric vehicle platform boasting high performance and great safety, according to a local media outlet, citing Lian Yubo, senior vice president of BYD Company Limited.

BYD Han EV; photo source: BYD

Adopting a plenty of innovative technologies, the platform will make electric vehicles maximize their advantages in space, driving performance and intelligence, Lian said.

He added that it will cost less to manufacture full-electric vehicles using the new platform and the vehicles will have the same driving range and safety performance as that of fuel-burning vehicles. The first model built on the upcoming platform will make its debut at the Auto China 2021 in Shanghai.

Traditional OEMs are scrambling to deploy their all-electric vehicle architectures. In late September, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (Geely Holding), China's leading privately-owned automotive group, announced the launch of its Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA), the world's first open-source EV architecture that commits to transforming the availability of zero-emission cars and trucks in the world's largest auto markets.

ZERO Concept; photo credit: Lynk & Co

The first SEA-based model is the Lynk & Co Zero Concept which was unveiled on September 23rd at a Lynk & Co brand event night and will go into production in 2021 with a market launch that year.

Last year, the German auto giant Volkswagen Group launched the MEB (modular electric drive matrix), a modular car platform for electric cars developed by the Volkswagen Group and its subsidiaries. On October 27, the ID.4 X, ID. family's first model mass-produced by SAIC Volkswagen (SAIC VW), rolled off the production line at the joint venture's EV-focused plant in Anting, Shanghai, signifying that Volkswagen Group's first factory dedicated to producing e-cars based on MEB platform formally starts production.