Chinese automaker BYD will develop an electric minicar for international markets including Europe, leveraging the technologies used for its mini EV newly debuted in Japan.
In July, BYD launched the Racco, an electric vehicle developed for Japan’s kei minicar market, which has unique regulations. The company has decided to develop a separate mini EV using the proprietary battery pack, dubbed X-Pack, used for the first time in the Racco.
The new model is expected to hit the market in a few years.
In the X-Pack, electrical components such as inverters for voltage conversion are integrated into a single battery pack, which is mounted under the vehicle floor. Conventionally, major electrical components are under the hood at the front of a vehicle.
Japan requires kei minicars to be no more than 3.4 meters long, 1.48 meters wide, or two meters high. Because EVs require batteries and electrical components, it was considered challenging to build an electric minicar that offers sufficient interior space and adequate crashworthiness.
