BYD Dolphin Surf shows record fuel price hikes the middle finger

Little did Chinese carmaker Build Your Dreams (BYD) know the effect the current conflict in Iran will have on oil prices when it introduced the all-electric Dolphin Surf late last year. Yet it turned out to be a timely masterstroke.

Last month, the manufacturer sold 239 units of the BYD Dolphin Surf locally, an extraordinary number for a local electric vehicle (EV). To put the figure into perspective, Kia sold less Picantos, Suzuki sold less Jimnys and Mazda sold less cars in total.

Starting at R341 900, the BYD Dolphin Surf is the most affordable EV in Mzansi. In terms of the overall picture, it is almost twice the price of the cheapest passenger car, the R178 799 Renault Kwid 1.0 Evolution. Developing EV battery technology is an expensive exercise, while taxation further bloats electric cars’ local stickers.

Electricity cheaper than fuel

But with fuel prices hitting record highs this month and even bigger hikes on the cards for May, the savings the BYD Dolphins Surf can make at the pumps will go a long way in justifying its price tag.

The entry-level Surf Comfort is fitted with a 30.1kWh battery that sends 55kW of power and 135Nm of torque to a single electric motor in the front. BYD claims it can achieve an electric range of up to 232km.

If you charge the Dolphin Surf Comfort at a domestic prepaid electricity rate of R4/kW from completely empty to flat, it will cost R120. If you do achieve the range of 232km, it will work out to 51 cents per kilometre. This means that if you travel 1 000km per month, your “fuel” bill would be R518.

BYD Dolphin Surf for the win

How does this compare to small cars powered by internal combustion engines? Like many of its small hatchback rivals, the Renault Kwid has a claimed fuel economy of 4.9 litres per 100km. This works out to R1.13/km at the current price of R23.25 per litre 93 unleaded petrol and a monthly fuel bill of R1 130 for 1 000km.

The projected price of R30.35 for 93 unleaded in May will see the cost per kilometre rocket to R1.48. And the cost for travelling 1 000km in a month go up to R1 487.

By then EVs will be much more attractive then when the BYD Dolphin Surf was introduced.