Chinese electric car maker BYD has unveiled a ‘floating car’, myth busting the notion that EVs can’t go in water once and for all.
The aquatic demonstration at Paris Motor Show marked the first time European audiences have seen the Yangwang U8 plug-in hybrid SUV take to the water.
As well as being able to ‘float’, BYD’s luxury Land Rover Defender-rival is famous for being able to perform a 360-degree ‘tank turn’.
While the suite of tricks sounds ideal for navigating Britain’s flood-hit roads and narrow in-town streets, will it actually be sold in the UK?
While the U8’s ability in water is an entertaining spectacle, it has a serious function: it’s in case the car is involved in an accident involving water.
In fact, the U8 can stay afloat for half an hour and move at 3km/h (1.9mph) in the water.
The U8’s viral ‘tank turn’ maneuver can even be performed while floating.
BYD have introduced the two unique features so that in the case of an emergency and the car is stuck in a flood, it can safely extract itself and its passengers from any danger.
The float feature is strictly for emergencies only and not for traditional SUV ‘wading’.
After float mode has been activated, the U8 needs to be inspected at a service centre – that’s despite the fact parent company BYD’s claim that it’s IP68-level waterproof.
The PHEV is made by the Chinese auto giant’s premium brand Yangwang and is an ultra-luxury heavyweight SUV to rival Bentley’s Bentayga and high-end Range Rovers.
It weights a whopping 3.5 metric tons and has four electric motors, one at each wheel, which allows for its 360-degree flexibility and ability to move sideways in a crab shuffle.
Could we be seeing the U8 taking on floods in Britain?
The U8 was introduced last year in Guangzhou and was first showcased at the Geneva Motor Show in February.
Known for bearing a striking resemblance to the new Land Rover Defender, with a bit of Kia EV9 thrown in, the U8 is currently only sold in China but BYD isn’t ruling out exporting it overseas.
In February BYD’s marketing manager for France Guillaume Calvar told Reuters: ‘This vehicle could perhaps be brought to certain European markets with limited distribution, but not necessarily exactly in its current form.
‘But for the moment, we are… testing its appeal.’
In China it’s priced from 1.098 million yuan (roughly £117,430). Deliveries began last November.
This is Money has reached out to BYD to find out if it has any intention to bring the U8 to the UK.
A spokesperson told us: ‘We don’t have an update at the moment. The decision for Yangwang in Europe is still under review.’
