The recently unveiled BYD Shark PHEV pickup truck claims a 100 km pure electric range with a 0-100 km/h sprint in just 5.7 seconds
While Tesla Cybertruck tried not to look like a Ford F150 as much as possible, BYD takes the opposite route. World’s largest EV maker, BYD, has just revealed its new Shark hybrid pickup truck and looks very similar to a Ford F150. It will be launched in markets like Mexico and Australia. Should India be a recipient?
BYD Shark Hybrid Pickup Truck Revealed
Electric car juggernaut, BYD, has unveiled its maiden pickup truck. Called BYD Shark, this pickup truck has been in the news for the past couple of years in testing and spy shots. Instead of going full electric, BYD Shark is a PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) and packs a turbo petrol engine coupled with a large battery and two electric motors.
Where design is concerned, BYD Shark’s front and rear reminds me of Ford F-150 Lightning. However, it is a smaller vehicle competing with Ford’s Ranger and Toyota Hilux. Side profile looks like it was inspired by Rivian R1T electric pickup truck. LED DRLs are massive, engulfing vertically arranged projected LED headlights. There is a connected DRL light bar too.
Strong lines, bold BYD badging, body cladding, chunky skid plates, 18-inch alloy wheels and a tough roll bar are notable design elements. Where dimensions are concerned, BYD Shark measures 5,457 mm in length, 1,971 mm in width, 1,925 mm in height and has a 3,260 mm long wheelbase.
All-four wheels get disc brakes and BYD is offering front and rear independent suspension for a sophisticated ride quality. On a pickup truck, solid axles would have proved beneficial for towing, load bearing and off-road shenanigans. That said, numbers aren’t off-putting. Load bed is rated for 835 kg and BYD Shark has a rated towing capacity of 2,500 kg and packs 1,450L tray volume too.
Hybrid power for the win?
On the inside, BYD Shark packs a rotating 12.3-inch touchscreen, a 10.25-inch TFT digital cluster and a 12-inch heads-up display. First set of press images shows an all-black theme with contrasting red highlights along with quite a few controls on centre console. 360-degree camera, 180-degree under-body view, 50W wireless phone charger, NFC and ADAS are a few notable features.
BYD Shark is based on a tough ladder-frame chassis and comes equipped with a 1.5L Turbo Petrol engine and a 29.58 kWh battery powering two electric motors – one at each axle and has vehicle to load feature as well. Total system output is around 430 bhp and BYD Shark can go 100 km on pure electric power as well.
The company claims a 0-100 km/h sprint in 5.7s and combined fuel efficiency is 7.5L per 100 km. Which turns out to be 13.33 km/l. This engine is only connected to front wheels and can drive them independently too. To improve off-roading, BYD is offering terrain modes – Snow, Mud and Sand.
BYD Shark is not only touted to be quicker to 100 km/h than Ford Ranger Raptor with a twin-turbo V6 petrol engine, but also more fuel efficient than 4-cylinder diesel pickup trucks of its class like Toyota Hilux with the recent mild hybrid update.
