[TusharK]

Back in 2019, we had shared images of the BYD T3 electric MPV that was being tested in India. Now, an electric cargo van based on the same vehicle has been spotted in Chennai.



The test car is said to have been imported directly from China and had no rear passenger seats. This isn't surprising as you can see that the vehicle is clearly meant for commercial use. Apparently, the T3 will be used for last-mile connectivity in the goods delivery segment.



According to BYD, the T3 MPV is said to have a maximum range of 300 km on a single charge. The batteries can be recharged to their full capacity in 1.5 hours using a DC charger. It also supports standard AC chargers. BYD has not revealed details of the electric motor that powers this MPV.





Thanks to the Team-BHP fan (he prefers to remain anonymous) who sent these images in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing them with other enthusiasts via this page!

[aayusht]

Probably its just me, but this van does not appear abuse ready. Plus, many time the delivery agencies would be using the vehicle long hours, which means this van would lead to range anxiety. Not sure how well it will be received or maybe it might just be for building eco-friendly image.

[ashis89]

So the Nissan Evalia lives on, with a new mask and drivetrain.

Originally Posted by aayusht

Probably its just me, but this van does not appear abuse ready. Plus, many time the delivery agencies would be using the vehicle long hours, which means this van would lead to range anxiety. Not sure how well it will be received or maybe it might just be for building eco-friendly image.

If BYD has copied the Evalia nicely then the van should be decently abuse friendly. As for the range, 300 usable kms is good enough for most use cases. It can be recharged at delivery points while unloading and reloading goods.

Commercial transport and delivery sectors have been adopting EVs. If the trend continues, it will be a much necessary image booster for the EV segment.

[Shreyans_Jain]

This right here. Products like this E van are the godsend solution for urban goods movement in this era of insanely high fuel prices. Just the vehicle that can give the venerable Eeco nightmares. Not sure about the payload but if they can manage 700-1000kg, it will revolutionise the urban cargo game.

[SKC-auto]

Originally Posted by aayusht

Probably its just me, but this van does not appear abuse ready. Plus, many time the delivery agencies would be using the vehicle long hours, which means this van would lead to range anxiety. Not sure how well it will be received or maybe it might just be for building eco-friendly image.

These vans will be used for last mile deliveries in urban environments.

Their typical daily route will be:
Warehouse to Delivery location: <30km
Deliver to 20 costumers: 80km(4km distance between each costumer)
Back to warehouse: <30km

Charge at warehouse for 1-2 hours and repeat. They hardly need 150km range between charging. The benefits are 1rs/km fuel costs instead of 5-6₹/km for diesel vans, lower maintenance, longer vehicle life(EVs last for a minimum of 5lakh kms). The biggest benefit, no need to start stop 20 times.

Logistic companies do not worry about eco friendly image unless it is cheaper.

[TrackDay]

Electric vehicles for delivery in urban areas can be a real game changer. If costs are kept within an affordable bracket this might take off and catch the current market leaders off guard. Even though fleets may not fully adopt these right away, they will still be willing to take a risk and include a few in the fleet to test out the technology. If this cargo model van takes off, the passenger type will probably come in next and create a segment for itself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zSC8gk1p3k

Interesting gear lever

[SS80]

I don't think this is any imported Van, it looks 99% like Nissan Evalia or Ashok Leyland Style, won't they have any legal complications for copying design?

I don't think this is the time for EV cargo movers, the passenger vehicle segment itself is just starting to accept these EVs slowly. Also we usually see EV as a premium product mainly due to their higher acquisition costs.


This whole EV revolution won't move forward until we treat battery packs as LPG cylinders - you can always swap an empty one to a full by paying the price for power.

Also what is needed is a standard design, mechanism to load and unload batteries, multiple vehicles using same battery & finally battery on rent. It's pointless to launch EVs and expect them to click, when it's direct competition (ICE vehicles) are sold with a entirely different logic.

[GTO]

We must keep in mind that large companies / corporates willingly deploy electric vehicles in their fleet, even if they have to pay extra for it. Reason? Part of their CSR budget and it does make for good press as well. So many corporates are using electric cabs, even though there are cheaper + better IC engine'd cars available. Then, Flipkart has already started making bold statements on an EV delivery fleet.

The big orders for these guys will come from such companies only, and their purchase motivation will be based on factors other than cost or practicality. It's good for us customers as these initial orders will lead to increased adoption, production & lowered costs in the longer run.

[ani_meher]

I think such delivery vehicles and other commercial types are perfect use cases for electric vehicles. A person who uses a private car for maximum 5-10k kms every year has a smaller impact on pollution than such vehicles who ply 100-200kms daily. Besides, the savings by electric vehicles will be substantially huge for heavy users.

[Phantom 510]

EV's as an intracity commercial vehicles does makes sense. I hope the future intracity commercial vehicles are replaced by the EV's. It would certainly make the cities/towns/villages much more cleaner and quieter.