- The BYD Shark is a plug-in hybrid pickup that Americans can’t have.
- A new video shows it handling brutal Australian desert conditions without a hiccup, while charging up sand dunes.
- We’ll probably never get the Shark here, but I hope someone gets a PHEV truck to the U.S. market soon.
Of all of the Chinese electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles we can’t get in the U.S., one inspires perhaps the most jealousy from truck-hungry Americans: the BYD Shark. China’s EV juggernaut builds the sort of plug-in hybrid, capable off-road pickup that no one has brought to the U.S. so far. And as a new video from the Australian channel All Terrain Action EV shows, the truck can handle some tough situations.
In the video, the Shark tackles sand dunes deep on a scorching day in the Australian desert. That’s the exact sort of situation where a plug-in hybrid or EREV makes sense: Far from charging infrastructure, with a heavy payload in the rear. In this case, the Shark has 200 to 300 kilograms (440-660 lbs) of stuff loaded up, the host says.
That seems like an aggressive estimate, unless he’s including fuel and the two passengers, but there is some heavy stuff in the bed. He brings a portable air conditioner, a giant cooler, an air compressor and all of his camping stuff. When I bring all of that in my old gas truck, I can certainly feel the difference.
Plus, he reports that it’s 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) in the desert. And the Shark has to plow through deep, soft sand.
That’s a worst-case scenario for a vehicle’s cooling system. Pushing through sand requires all of the vehicle’s torque, and plenty of throttle. But unlike while towing on the highway, you’re not actually moving quickly, which means there’s less cool air moving through the radiator. At over 100 degrees, it’s not like that air is all that cool anyway.
Yet the Shark handles the brutal conditions with no issues. It also charges up a soft sand hill with impressively little drama. It takes two attempts, as the sand has no tire marks in it at first, but the Shark still manage to crest a hill that, per the host, has trapped many 4x4s.
Now, I don’t want to overhype the Shark here. A lot of Americans mistakenly see a Chinese PHEV truck and assume it’s the sort of affordable, efficient truck we’re missing. While the latter part is true, it’s not like this is a barebones, cheap truck. It’s got great tech, a nice interior and a starting price of over $50,000 in Mexico, where cheaper trucks abound. It’s not even sold in China, as the demand for a pricy PHEV pickup isn’t there. And there’s no shortage of gas 4x4s that can handle this sort of extreme duty.
Still, it’s proof that even in the truck segment—American automakers’ key focal point—Chinese manufacturers can make great, capable products to challenge the best of the best. Perhaps more importantly, though, it’s proof that the plug-in hybrid formula works for pickup trucks. Ford seems to recongize this, which is why it’s launching a plug-in hybrid Ranger this year. Infuriatingly, though, that truck has not been announced for the North American market.
I can’t see why. With the low-end torque of an EV and the endurance of a gas truck, a plug-in hybrid pickup could be a perfect solution for tens of thousands of American truck buyers. Until one arrives, though, we’ll just have to watch the rest of the world have their fun without us.
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