New electric fleet brands
It may be clear: also at the Brussels Motor Show (“the Motor Show”) 2023, it will be impossible to imagine life without electric cars. The electric car market is growing rapidly, and in addition to the well-known and familiar brands, more and more (mainly Asian) brands are entering the market offering electric vehicles. This is great news for businesses and consumers because it means more choices and more competition, which can lead to lower prices and improved technologies.
Stroohm looks ahead into 2023 to find out what new brands and models are available to order in for your fleet today and/or soon. Because a modern car policy naturally includes the latest makes and models. Feel free to ask us to help you with this.
Chinese company BYD, short for “Build Your Dreams,” was previously known as the world’s largest producer of electric vehicles, though sold primarily in China. In Belgium, BYD could already be spotted at the airport in Brussels. In addition, BYD is also one of the largest battery producers and so in 2020 they came to the market with an LFP Blade Battery Technology. A safe, space-saving development. They then incorporated this technology into the circulation of their 3 different electric models currently available on the Belgian market. With this new and innovative battery, they want to further increase the range and safety of electric cars while keeping the cost price economically justifiable. Since the end of 2022, BYD showrooms can be found in our country and the following models can be ordered.
BYD – Han
BYD competes with Mercedes and BMW with the Han. Thus, the BYD Han is comparable to the 5-series and the E-class. This does not only have to do with the size and looks. The Han is indeed finished to a very high standard with quality materials. So absolutely no “Chinese junk.” Rather a luxuriously built sedan with over 500km WLTP driving range and a cost of €71,525. Furthermore, the BYD Han is characterized by four-wheel drive and a high-tech interior in which a rotating interface should guide drivers from A to B.
BYD – Tang
With the Tang, BYD aims to enter the SUV market. This version typifies itself as a spacious, aerodynamic car that can conquer both long trips with a driving range of 400km on highways. Also for daytime driving, the Tang with a combined driving range of 528km is definitely an option to consider in the electric SUV market segment. Starting at €73,000, this 7-seater can be yours.
BYD – Atto 3
With the Atto 3, BYD is facing the target audience of the small SUV or C-segment crossover in addition to the large sedan and SUV. Think the size of a Kia Niro, among others, or just a touch smaller than a Volkswagen Tiguan. With a driving range of 370km, the Atto 3 offers a competitive option in this segment at a cost of between €43,000 and €45,000. So in a lot of corporate fleets, it is an attractive and affordable option.
NIO(https://www.nio.com )
In addition to BYD, another Chinese brand that is “up-and-coming” is NIO. After its founding in 2014, NIO started delivering high-end 100% electric models in 2018 to compete with Duite premium brands and Tesla. Meanwhile, NIO has an offering of quite a few models but it is mainly the recent ET5 (similar to the Tesla Model 3) that should mark the company’s major growth.
Unique at NIO are the “Battery Swap Stations. After fervent attempts by Better Place and Renault, Nio is trying it this time with the battery swap system. This system on the one hand offers the possibility of changing batteries in 3 minutes, but on the other hand it also offers the user the chance to keep up with developments in battery technology. The latter in particular will become the big usage segment for the success of the changing system. Where users can switch or, for example, increase the battery size on long trips and switch back to a smaller and less expensive battery on shorter trips. By 2022, we already saw some Battery Swap Stations sprouting up in Noorwgen, Germany and the Netherlands.
NIO-ET5
NIO’s latest production model. For the NIO ET5 you pay in the Netherlands currently has a minimum cost of €51,900, but for this you don’t yet get a battery. You can rent this for a monthly price between €169 and €289. The battery can be exchanged at a changing station. The battery can be exchanged at a swap station in case of an empty battery on long trips or the need for another type of battery. In terms of price range, NIO thus wants to compete with the Tesla Model 3 with the ET5, looking at the specifications and cost. With a WLTP driving range between 450 and 590km – depending on battery size – NIO is close to a Tesla Model 3.
NIO – ET7
With the ET7, NIO aims to serve the segment of consumers who now mainly have the Tesla Model S / BMW 5 / Mercedes E / Audi A6 on their wish list with a large sedan version since the summer of 2022. Technologically, this 5-meter-long sedan scores high on both performance and interior. For example, the 3 battery packs NIO talks about are good for a range between 500 and 800km. At the moment, the ET7 in the Netherlands can be ordered for a starting price of €72,900.
NIO – EL7
Nio is also bringing an SUV version to the European market with the EL7. Basically, this is the SUV version of the ET7, just as a Mercedes EQE has an SUV version. As with Nio’s other models, the EL7 also comes with a 75kWh and 100kWh battery pack. With these, the electric SUV reaches 391 and 509 kilometers, respectively. The starting price for the EL7 is €76,900. The purchase prices of the 75kWh and 100kWh versions do increase by €12,000 and €21,000 respectively when purchasing the battery. The rental formula involves €169 and €289 per month.
XPENG (https://heyxpeng.com)
Besides NIO, XPENG is another up-and-coming Chinese brand with exclusively 100% electric cars. XPENG mainly wants to reduce the current charging time by building out an ultra-fast charging network. Unlike NIO, by installing the S4 ultrafast charger, they want to charge the cars with a power of 480kW. This would allow 200 kilometers of driving range to be charged in 5 minutes.
XPENG – G9
Similar to several other electric SUVs in the market, the Chinese automaker aims to compete with the XPENG G9 in the market segment of cars such as the Audi E-Tron and the Mercedes EQC. A 96kWh battery is capable of driving around 700km. With the ultra-fast charger XPENG plans to install itself, it can be recharged from 10% to 80% in 15 minutes.
VINFAST (https://vinfastauto.eu/nl)
Another Asian player. Vinfast is a Vietnamese automaker founded in 2017. The company is owned by Vingroup, a large conglomerate in Vietnam that has interests in various sectors, including real estate, retail and healthcare. Vinfast was founded with the goal of producing high-quality vehicles for the domestic market in Vietnam, as well as for export. The company has announced plans to produce a range of vehicles, including electric cars, motorcycles and scooters. In addition to producing vehicles, Vinfast also operates a research and development center in Hanoi, Vietnam, where it works to develop new technologies for use in its vehicles.
Vinfast – VF8
The VF8 is an electric vehicle produced by the company. It is a compact car with a range of up to 300 kilometers on a single charge. It is equipped with a 45 kWh battery pack and an output of 110 kW (148 hp). The VF8 was unveiled at the 2019 International Motor Show in Frankfurt, Germany and is said to be launched in the European market soon.
Lucid Air(https://www.lucidmotors.com/nl-nl)
The Lucid Air is self-proclaimed a luxury, electric car with the greatest range and shortest charging time in the world. With a studio and service center in the Netherlands, France and Germany, this announced high-flyer is getting closer and closer to reality in our country. In the Netherlands, the first models were already delivered at the end of 2022; the opening of the first Belgian showroom in Zaventem is scheduled for 2023.
When it comes to high performance electric cars, the Lucid Air should definitely be mentioned. With 5 different versions, being the Dream Edition Performance and Dream Edition Range and the Air Pure, Air Touring and Air Grand Touring. The Dream Edition top versions sprint to 100 in under 3 seconds, while the other versions still do so in under 4 seconds as well. According to figures, the top versions have a driving range between 800 and 900km, while the others average 650km and the Air Grand Touring even 800km. Prices fluctuate around €200,000 for the top versions and between €80,000 and €100,000 for the other versions.
So the Air will not be an average company car but it does offer a nice alternative to the immensely popular Porsche Taycan or Tesla Model S.
| Model | Cost (incl. VAT) | Driving range (WLTP) | Reference model | Car saloon? |
| Lucid Air | €80.000-€200.000 | 650 – 850km | Tesla Model S | No |
| BYD Han | €72.500-€76.000 | 520km | BMW 5 series | Yes |
| BYD Tang | €73.500 | 400km | Audi E-Tron | Yes |
| BYD Atto 3 | €43.000-€45.000 | 350-400km | Kia Niro, VW ID.4 , EQA | Yes |
| Nio ET5 | €62.500-€75.500 | 450-500km | Tesla Model 3 | No |
| Nio ET7 | €83.500-€92.500 | 380-600km | Tesla Model S | No |
| Nio EL7 | €87.500-€96.500 | 350-520km | Audi E-Tron | No |
| VinFast VF8 | €44.300-€51.600 | 400-470km | Mercedes EQB | No |
| Xpeng G9 | / | 550-700km | Mercedes EQC | No |