Chinese electric car startup Byton has finally unveiled first Byton electric SUV which will hit the roads in 2019 wearing a price tag of around $45,000. Seeing the price and the variety of tech, the price seems very reasonable. Byton is calling its SUV a smartphone on wheels and it truly would be offering the next-generation connectivity and mobility features.
As we revealed earlier, it has a curved 49-inch touchscreen spread across the cabin viewable by all passengers. The driver and the front passenger will be able to control vehicle functions through voice and gestures. Moreover, the Byton electric SUV incorporates Amazon Alexa digital assistant as well as artificial intelligence that memorizes all of your inclinations. Same as Apple’s face recognition technology, the SUV could be started only by you as it detects your face. Needless to say, burglars will have a hard time to start such a vehicle.
Apart from high-end connectivity features, Byton’s SUV will offer over-the-air software updates for self-driving versions. The earlier versions will feature Level 3 autonomy, and that might change in 2020 as Level 4 autonomy will be a part of the package. Those who are not aware about Level 3 and Level 4 should know that the earlier has the ability to drive the vehicle in select conditions with driver on hold to take back control at a moment’s notice, while the latter enables the vehicle to drive on its own for a long time and even take control when the driver fails to respond to any emergency situation.
As told earlier in our article, the Byton Electric SUV will house a 150kW motor in the front and a 200kW motor at the rear to collectively create 469 horsepower. The standard battery will be 71-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion, while a 95-kWh battery will be optional. The range would vary between 200 miles and 310 miles for these batteries. The good thing about the range is the fast charging. The drivers will be able to charge 80% of the battery in just 30 minutes.
Talking about the interior, there would be plenty of space inside for both passengers and the luggage. The front seats would be a little different from the rest as they can be rotated. Byton is currently building a plant that will be ready by 2019. By the end of the same year, they will be able to bring the production version in China, while sales for Europe and U.S. might start in 2020.