Byd Shark: I changed my gasoline truck to Chinese hybrid and love it

This essay is based on a conversation with Wayne Dopson, a project manager in Brisbane, Australia, to have the BYD Shark hybrid truck. It is edited for length and clarity.

I have always been in the real estate market, the houses have slipped and renovated. I have a small renovation company working in Brisbane with kitchens, bathrooms and blankets I've been doing for about 12 years.

In 2015, I bought a VW Amarok diesel pickup. I wanted to upgrade for a while, but nothing came that did not come.

Other trucks of the combustion engine, such as the Ford Ranger, were all very similar to Amarok. I would have got the same car with an almost larger screen, so I waited for something a little different.

In March, I bought the BYD Shark Hybrid Pickup for $ 64,000, about $ 41,000.

Ford and Toyota take ridiculous prices for their bleeding or Australian ewes. You look up to $ 80,000 for something that is worse for me for what is required by 60,000.

I've only made sharks of 2000 kilometers, so I'm still studying the car, but so far I love to drive it.

Technology, power and smoothness – it has been known to Amarok for decades.

Luxury and power in cheap

The level of luxury inside is incredible for money. I have been owned by Audise and BMWs, and it looks as good, as confident and well built as a first-class car. It also does 0-100km/h in 5.7 seconds so it drives like a sports car.

I mainly use it for work and leisure and have a couple of benefits.

It just costs me a cent every day. I have 30 solar panels on the roof, so my electricity is free during the day.

I pay eight cents per kilowatt -hour from 12-6, which is enough to charge the car – it takes three to four hours to charge.

When I put a car for midnight, it is done until 4am and usually costs less than two Australian dollars, or $ 1.03. I would use VW Amarok for $ 13 or $ 14 ($ 8-9) a day, so it is relatively very cheap.

Another advantage is that you have an electrical point at the back of the truck that provides about six kilos of energy that you can use on the spot for tools.

It has a very large tray with a couple of small tips from the sleeve. You can open your tailgate with a quick press, which is convenient when you walk with your hands.

The range is not a problem

Shark is what they call a bright or extended electric vehicle. It has two electric motors, front and rear, and has a 1.5-liter petrol engine that acts as a generator.

The petrol engine means that the anxiety of the range is not really a thing for me.

In general, I do less than 100 kilometers a day, which is done in electricity, but if I want to go to the beach or beyond the coast, I have a gasoline engine there.

It just hits and loads the battery and is good to go about 800 kilometers.

The only thing that worries me is the value of resale. I have already seen new vehicles come out of Nissan, Ford and Great Wall.

This technology is developing like crazy now, so my shark can be quite obsolete in five years.

It has a six -year warranty and I plan to keep it during the warranty period. What it is finally worth it is to think of someone.

Byd puts the Australian roots down

I think there are more Chinese brands in Australia. We get a longer warranty time and high quality cars.

Utes is a very important part of Australian culture. One of the topics facing the BYD shark is that it does not have the same off-road drive as a vehicle-a axle mechanism that you have to crawl over rocks and rough landscape.

It fits in with sand and mud, but when it comes to a truly serious landscape, where you index the huge hills with rails and boulders, it will work hard.

For me, however, the shark is great. It is a pleasure to drive and it is nice to be able to drive around, knowing that it does not cost me and does not pay the planet.