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Major player

Of all the automakers from China trying to conquer Europe, we give BYD perhaps the greatest chance of success. Why? They are already one of the largest builders of (electric) cars worldwide. By 2023, the brand expects to sell more than three million cars. Many Chinese – as well as European, Japanese and American – brands can only dream of that.

Batteries

But the brand doesn’t just build cars. They also know about batteries. BYD is the world’s second largest battery maker. Brands like Tesla even buy their batteries from BYD. And especially for this reason, it is a brand in to keep an eye on. Whoever owns the production of batteries owns the future.

Atto 3

On TV, the brand advertises the BYD Atto 3 a lot . A compact hatchback that takes on the Volkswagen ID.3. But that’s not the only model they offer in Europe. They also have the Han and the Tang. The latter is a large SUV. The Han is a stately electric sedan, taking on the Tesla Model S, Mercedes-Benz EQE and BMW i4 and i5.

Faerie

The BYD Han’s appearance is inspired by a dragon, according to the brand. Deliciously Chinese, in other words. On his nose run two dark lines, which must represent the snake-like fable’s whiskers. On the D-pillar is an aluminum design element reminiscent of dragon scales. It will. The Han is by no means a fire-breathing dragon, as the design looks quite tame. Its size is impressive. With a length of almost 5 meters and a width of 1.91 meters, there really is something coming.

518 hp

Upon turning the proverbial key – the Han has a round start button in the center console – we soon discover the Han’s fiery temperament. On the outside, the Han looks like a well-behaved, elegant luxury sedan, but beneath the surface lurks a whopping 518 horsepower.

Thanks to two electric motors – one front, one rear – the Han pops from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.9 seconds. We did not have to look up this 0-100 time, as it is on the back of the Han: 3.9S. To bring things back to a neatly timed stop, BYD mounted Brembo brakes all around and a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires.

Range BYD Han

That professional braking is kind of necessary, too. In fact, the Han weighs a thick 2,225 kg. It is and always will be an electric car. The large battery is the culprit, but it does provide a pleasant range. Thanks to a net capacity of 85.3 kWh (88 kWh gross), the Han kicks in at 521 kilometers (WLTP). In practice – under normal conditions – you can reach 400 to 450 kilometers without much effort.

LFP battery

Of course, BYD uses its own batteries for the Han. The battery in question is the so-called BYD Blade Battery. This is an LFP battery (lithium iron phosphate battery). That is a lithium-ion battery, which uses lithium iron phosphate as a cathode. These batteries offer several advantages. First, they use less controversial raw materials, such as cobalt. Moreover, the Blade Battery can take a beating. Even if you pierce it with an iron rod, it does not catch fire.

The Han can fast charge up to 120 kW. Enormously impressive it does not sound, but fortunately it can hold this peak power for a long time. Up to 70% battery charge, the power remains constant around 115 kW charging power. Where the car does lose out against the competition is in the area of AC charging. In short: home charging. Our test car is limited to only 1-phase AC charging. One night of charging is then often not enough to fully charge the car. No problem if you stay within the Netherlands, but for mile-eaters it can be a problem. It is not yet known whether a Han version with 3-phase will come to the Netherlands. 

Stately sedan

The interior of the BYD Han exudes opulence, with beautiful diamond-shaped stitched leather and refined woven aluminum. This is where the Han scores big points. The interior effortlessly rivals that of a German business sedan. Moreover, it features an infotainment system running on Google’s Android Automotive. The system works at lightning speed and intuitively, adding to the overall comfort of the car. With the German competition you sometimes spend minutes scrolling the screen to find a simple function, with the Han you are often exactly where you want to be with two taps. Software they understand a lot better in China in that regard than in Europe.

Driver

The best place in the Han is not behind the wheel, but in the back seat. It is a typical Chinese sedan, where the passengers in the back get as much attention as the driver. So the rear seats are also electrically adjustable, and in the armrest is a large screen, which allows you to control almost everything that can also be found on the central infotainment screen. You almost don’t want to get off when you arrive at your final destination.

Price tag

The Han is relatively kindly priced. It comes from 72,500 euros. That’s a hefty sum, but not a crazy amount for an electric sedan with this range and equipment. After all, for this amount you get a fully equipped car. Think luxury features such as a panoramic sunroof, a full leather-clad interior, armrest with screen, ambient lighting, a high-quality Dynaudio sound system, a power trunk lid and much more. If you were to check the same options with a German manufacturer, the price would give you a small heartache. So BYD: bring on that Han with 3-phase charging hardware!