Thread

BYD Slashes Price of Electric Car and Becomes Cheapest in Australia [video]

63 points · 106 comments · thelastgallon

motionlessveloc · 1789882148 · focus · HN ↗
Non-video story: <a href="https://thedriven.io/2026/09/16/australias-cheapest-new-car-is-now-an-electric-car-and-byds-stunning-move-will-change-the-conversation-about-evs/" rel="nofollow">https://thedriven.io/2026/09/16/australias-cheapest-new-car-...
TL;DR: AUD 19,900 driveway (means taxes, registration etc included), or about US$14k. The main limitation is the 220 km (135 mi) range, which is fine for a city runabout but not great for road tripping.
1. Nursie · 1789883063 · focus · HN ↗
  It’s pretty tiny too, so not a road trip car IMHO.
  That said, coupled with home solar to power it, this is a very cheap way to get on the road and I will likely go this direction in future - one of these for the city and something a bit bigger/more rugged to go bush once in a while.
  1. defrost · 1789883751 · focus · HN ↗
    > a bit bigger/more rugged to go bush once in a while.
    Depends whether you're taking the Birdsville track or the Bibbulmun track really.
    The shorter one can be done a on a red postie bike, the longer one won't even need that :-)
    Nursie · 1789884258 · focus · HN ↗
    Been thinking more along the lines of the Munda-biddy actually :)
    But I haven’t got on my bike for a few years now because at the moment all my spare energy goes on managing our plot. There’s always something needs moving, sawing, building, repairing, digging… So I’ve gone from having a (pudgy) cyclist’s physique with very strong calves to more of a farmer’s build with bigger arm and shoulder muscles than I’ve ever had before and a big ‘ol belly.
    But in all seriousness I also like to go remote once in a while and access national parks. I’m not going to be hooning it round destroying dunes, but getting to beautiful places like Cape Peron is tough without a the right vehicle.
    defrost · 1789885282 · focus · HN ↗
    I've been through the Bungles on a push bike - so that's a thing, but yeah, Cape Peron would be a hard slog without a boat or vehicle that can push across deep sand - water would be a tough carry.
    > without the right vehicle
    A loong time ago (late 1970s) I got to traverse the horizontal falls a couple of time in a home made sea kayak after being dropped off "nearby" (and later picked up again) by an old pearling lugger .. pretty low carbon effort that one, just a lot of paddling (and fishing, and digging for fresh water, and dodging the odd shark and salty croc).
    Nursie · 1789895575 · focus · HN ↗
    Nice, I have great respect but also a level of “WTF” when encountering cyclists in the deep wilds, especially in the heat!
    Passed an old guy on a pushbike with a trailer on the nullabor in 2010 and just thought “wow, that’s commitment”

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