The newly launched BYD Shark PHEV pickup truck can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 5.7 seconds, according to its 100 km pure electric range.
Whereas Tesla Cybertruck made every effort to avoid resembling a Ford F150, BYD goes in the other direction. The biggest EV manufacturer in the world, BYD, recently unveiled their new Shark hybrid pickup truck, which bore a striking resemblance to a Ford F150. It will be introduced in markets such as Australia and Mexico.
BYD Shark Hybrid Pickup Truck Revealed
The electric vehicle giant, BYD, has debuted its first pickup truck. This pickup truck, known as the BYD Shark, has been in the news for testing and spy photos for the last few years. The BYD Shark is a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), which means that it has two electric motors, a big battery, and a turbocharged petrol engine instead of running entirely on electricity.
The front and back of the BYD Shark have a similar design to the Ford F-150 Lightning. It is a smaller car, though, and competes with the Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger. The side profile appears to have been influenced by the electric pickup truck Rivian R1T. Massive, vertically aligned projecting LED headlights are swallowed by LED DRLS. Additionally, a DRL light bar is connected.
Notable design features include substantial skid plates, body cladding, bold BYD badging, 18-inch alloy wheels, a robust roll bar and strong lines. In terms of measurements, the BYD Shark is 5,457 mm long, 1,971 mm wide, 1,925 mm tall, and has a wheelbase that is 3,260 mm long.
Disc brakes are fitted to all four wheels, and BYD offers independent suspension on the front and rear for a smooth ride. Solid axles would have been useful for off-roading, load carrying, and towing on a pickup truck. Nevertheless, numbers don’t seem unsettling. The BYD Shark has a rated towing capacity of 2,500 kg and a tray volume of 1,450L. The load bed is rated for 835 kg.
Hybrid power for the win?
The BYD Shark’s internal components include a 12-inch heads-up display, a 10.25-inch TFT digital cluster, and a revolving 12.3-inch touchscreen. The first set of press photos features a centre console full of controls and an all-black theme with red highlights for contrast. Among the noteworthy features are the 50W wireless phone charger, ADAS, NFC, 180-degree under-body view, and 360-degree camera.
Built on a sturdy ladder-frame chassis, the BYD Shark sports a 1.5L turbocharged petrol engine, a 29.58 kWh battery that powers two electric motors—one at each axle—and a vehicle to load function. The BYD Shark has a total system output of about 430 horsepower and can travel 100 kilometres on electricity alone.
The 0-100 km/h sprint time of 5.7 seconds and fuel efficiency of 7.5L per 100 km the manufacturer. It comes to 13.33 km/l in the end. Only the front wheels are attached to this engine, and it is also capable of driving them separately. BYD offers three different terrain modes: sand, mud, and snow, to enhance off-roading.
In addition to being faster than the Ford Ranger Raptor, which has a twin-turbo V6 petrol engine, the BYD Shark is also said to be more fuel-efficient than 4-cylinder diesel pickup trucks in its class, such as the Toyota Hilux, which recently received a minor hybrid upgrade.
