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BYD’s hybrid EV ute that could rival Australia’s bestselling vehicles goes on sale

www.theguardian.com BYD’s hybrid EV ute that could rival Australia’s bestselling vehicles goes on sale

Orders roll in as Chinese carmaker launches Shark 6 in move that could signal electrification spreading from sedans and SUVs to large ute market

BYD’s hybrid EV ute that could rival Australia’s bestselling vehicles goes on sale
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  • Australians expect to be able to punish their vehicles over harsh terrain and have it come back in one piece.

    Oh please. The most off road the majority of dual cabs get is mounting kerbs in a drive through.

    • Some imported dual-cab utes struggle with the kerbs of drive throughs.

    • On the other side, I gladly take my Outlander off the beaten track. I took it through a river crossing last month that I probably shouldn't have. It handled it like a champion, though.

      I don't know whether I'd take one of these through that same crossing.

      • .... You wouldn't take a Shark through a crossing that an Outlander can handle? :-\

        Outlander has 190mm of ground clearance and a wading depth of 400mm, the Shark has 230mm of ground clearance and a wading depth of 600mm (or 700mm, depending on which website you believe).

        • It's not a dig at the Shark, specifically. It's my lack of familiarity with electric vehicles in general. I've never seen an electric vehicle drive through water.

          The depth of the water was about the height of the wheels. Which I'm guessing is past 400mm. I probably wouldn't have taken the car along that road to that crossing if I'd known about it ahead of getting there. I was already calculating the odds of getting across and what I'd do if I got bogged down in the water etc.

          • The depth of the water was about the height of the wheels. Which I'm guessing is past 400mm.

            Hm. Better check your diff/transfer case oils just in case before things get expensive. Outlanders don't have high mounted diff breathers so you might have got some water in there.

          • I've never seen an electric vehicle drive through water.

            https://youtu.be/hnnMYLtamaY

            https://youtu.be/UBwmAMNI9qk

            https://youtu.be/tzA0U53HF2g

            I'd be more worried about the ICE a Shark is carrying around then the EV part tbh

            • Those first two videos are a bit extreme - I obviously wouldn't have attempted either of those in the Outlander. I doubt I'd have attempted it in the Teslas, either. Those were big risks with minimal rewards in both examples. Thought the second was obviously a planned "Is this possible?" crossing.

              I'm equal parts impressed and horrified. I know enough about electrics to be horrified at what water can do if it gets in your motor. Would the vehicle be covered under warranty if you inundated your motor doing this?

              • Everything is sealed, and generally water proof in general. I'm sure you've seen sump pumps, aquarium wave makers, fuel pumps...

                Electric is so much more reliable than combustion. Literally it's only downside is the energy density of the batteries.

    • Whether they actually get used for it or not is immaterial. People like to believe they will go out bush with them.

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