BYD Atto 3: The Next Big Electric Thing?

The BYD Atto 3 is the electric family SUV that vowed to be the next big thing in the electric automotive world of Nepal. One of the prospects of the expected grandeur was the possibility of it treading on the ‘value-for-money’ end of the spectrum. Considering how things haven’t been going well for us of late, it was no big surprise when the electric car fraternity was let down again when Cimex Nepal announced the official pricing. As expected, having shunted affordability out of the window, car lovers of the country were left considerably miffed.

However, there is still the question of what the BYD Atto 3 brings to the table. It is still a very interesting prospect in the Nepalese automotive market. And, with the general consensus of Nepal heading toward an electric automotive future, the BYD Atto 3 is still worthy of attention. With interiors rammed with equipment, and the much-hyped blade battery technology, there is plenty to look forward to with the BYD Atto 3.

EXTERIOR

The BYD Atto 3 looks like a modern-age car. It manages to look sharp despite not having an excessive amount of cuts and creases. The shape of the car flows well and manages to disguise the size of the car, which is pretty big. It looks splendid in the blue hue and the silver accents work wonderfully. You will find the BYD badge up front on the center of the grille and on the tailgate where it spells out the acronym which reads out “Build Your Dreams”. You will also notice a “BYD Designs” badge on the side of the hood, which also houses the charging ports.

Crystal LED combination headlights up front look great and do a good job of illuminating the roads after nightfall. The one-piece LED tail light that runs across the tailgate adds dimension to the well-designed rear of the BYD Atto 3. We also like the silver-metallic material above the rear haunch, they call it the ripple D - Pillar. Is it just us, or do the indents there look like Nike Swooshes?

Regardless, the BYD Atto 3 keeps things fairly subtle on the exterior. There aren’t a lot of extravagant points to talk about, in fact, it has been carried out with elegance and the Atto 3 does not feel like a car that is screaming for attention.

INTERIOR

The interior of the BYD Atto 3 is here for your attention, and will gladly take every bit of it. From the moment you enter the cabin, you are bombarded with a plethora of extravagant bits and pieces peppered throughout the interiors. BYD claims the rhythmic interior of the Atto 3 is an advanced intelligent cabin styled with the concept of sports and fitness. Their words, not ours.

What first got our attention is the beautiful center console that houses the gear selector and several other buttons that perform various functions. The aircraft-inspired gear selector is always popular with the team, but the fact that BYD has used material that feels good to the touch and is pleasant to look at is an added bonus.

The placement of the start/stop button on the center console is also very pleasing. Amongst the many other buttons on the center console is the switch to select the driving mode. Unlike the other buttons, which are flush on the board, the mode selector juts out so that it is easier to operate. Another useful bit is the wireless charging pad that you get, right above the gear selector.

The seats are amazing. They look great and provide decent support, even for longer drives. All touchpoints get soft-touch materials which elevate the premium feel of the BYD Atto 3. However, there are elements that, we feel, diminish the lavishness of the interiors a tad bit.

For instance, the quirky grip-style door handles which require you to palm and pull the unit towards you do not add significantly to the functionality. It does get speakers integrated into it, but we feel that it does little to accentuate the aesthetics of the interior. Similarly, the door compartments with elastic strings to keep your belongings in place don’t really make a lot of sense. You know they’re going to stretch out with time and usage, leaving them like socks left out to dry.

More importantly, you know your friends, or children, are going to play them like offkey guitar strings and frustrate the living daylights out of you. Something simpler would have worked better.

Another quirky bit is what BYD calls “dumbbell style” air conditioning vents. Would conventional vents have been too bland? BYD certainly thought so. Then there is the star of the show, the 12.8” intelligent rotating touchscreen which houses your infotainment system. It is a responsive unit and the resolution is splendid. In fact, the 360-camera display is one of the best we have encountered to date. The unit also supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

PERFORMANCE

This is where the promise of the BYD Atto 3 comes to fruition. The E-platform 3.0 and BYD’s revolutionary Blade Battery technology is the center of attraction for the Atto 3. Let’s get the details out of the way.

The E-Platform 3.0 is an open-source platform that integrates and standardizes components to be used with minimal tweaks on a variety of cars. The new platform enables ranges exceeding 1,000 km (620 miles) through the world’s first 8-in-1 electric powertrain.

Furthermore, it’s possible to make EVs with eAWD on this platform. The platform can employ a front electric motor with 201 bhp and 229 lb-ft and a rear motor with 362 bhp and 266 lb-ft. So, you can expect the combined output to be over 500 bhp and over 500 lb-ft discounting the energy losses. In the case of this car, though, you get a more conventional single motor driving the front wheels only that produces 201bhp (150kW) and 310Nm of torque.

Then there is the BYD Blade battery. These are basically, long strips of cells that run from front to rear of the car. This setup is claimed to save weight and space, allowing BYD to deliver better range out of its lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP-technology) cells, which would otherwise be a bit less energy dense than the NCM (nickel-cobalt-manganese) tech that you’ll find on many other cars. This battery is said to be stronger, safer, and at least 50 percent more energy-dense than conventional lithium-ion-phosphate (LFP) batteries. The battery has successfully cleared nail penetration, temperature, overcharging, and many other tests. The Blade battery is a structural element that enhances the EV’s torsional rigidity. BYD claims that the Atto 3 can be fully charged from 0 to 80% in under 50 minutes through an 80kW charger (DC fast charging).

With the BYD Atto 3, you get to choose from two options: Advanced and Superior. The Advanced trim has a 49.92 kWh battery that has a 320 km (WLTP) range and the Superior has a 60.48 kWh with a 420 km (WLTP) range. We had the Superior with us which meant we had more than enough range for our test drive.

This would be a good time to highlight the glaring question that arises when the topic of EVs comes up: range anxiety. Progress in battery technology and BEV technology has managed to quell most anxieties, and the Atto 3 is no different. There are 3 modes to choose from, eco, normal, and Sport – and we found ourselves consistently choosing the sport mode.

Apart from having better performance at our disposal, the ample range availability meant that we weren’t compelled to switch to any other driving mode. Having said that, the normal mode has decent performance for in-city driving, and the eco mode is the one you choose when you have plenty of time in the world.

There are also two levels of brake regeneration, although even on the high level it’s quite conservative. This certainly isn’t an EV you can drive with just one pedal. The BYD Atto 3 drives as you would expect a fun family SUV to drive. It accelerates quickly and picks up speed in a linear manner. You’re never unnerved by the way it gathers speed, and the brakes are reassuring.

We can definitely see ourselves navigating the twists and turns up a scenic hill in one of these. And the fact that you have enough range to actually attempt doing this is what really gets us excited. Furthermore, you get plenty of features like adaptive cruise control, ABS and EBD, hill descent control, and more as well as plenty on the safety front.

VERDICT

There are still plenty of BEV sceptics out there. In our experience, the most common challenge to the viability of the technology is:  show me a BEV that can go from Kathmandu to Pokhara without stress, and I’ll be interested. Well, it’s time to get interested. Apart from having plenty of range, the blade battery technology and the new platform add to the appeal of the BYD Atto 3.

Furthermore, apart from a few design quirks, we have very little to complain about. In fact, the BYD Atto 3 put a massive smile on our faces. It’s practical as well. Given the Atto 3's size, the interior is quite spacious. Even with the standard panoramic glass roof installed, there's room for five six-footers on board, and the boot capacity is a very respectable 440 liters. When the (60/40 split) rear seats are folded down, this expands to 1,338 liters.

So, the BYD Atto 3 appears to be an electric family SUV that is practical, fun to drive, and ahead of the technology curve. Plus, BYD Nepal offers an 8-year or 500000km (whichever comes first) warranty on the car. The cherry on top would have been a better price point. If it wasn’t for the government turnaround, the BYD Atto 3 could have come in at a price point of Rs. 65 Lakh. Imagine that. The BYD Atto 3 would have been untouchable, almost perfect.

Unfortunately, Nepalese people have been down on our luck lately, so we are stuck with a price tag of Rs. 89.90 Lakh. And that makes the BYD Atto 3 an expensive prospect.