One of the first hybrid utes to be commercially available in New Zealand is set to unveiled at Fieldays by Transport Minister Simeon Brown.
The new vehicle from China-based company BYD is the BYD Shark and was first unveiled in Mexico on May 14.
BYD NZ manager Warren Willmot said the ute “redefines what a utility vehicle is”.
The Shark has dual mode offroad technology, which he said is the first of its kind in New Zealand.
“The ute drives like an electric car. There’s also a 1.5 litre petrol engine in there that as well as turning the wheels, acts as a generator.
“You’re able to use the electricity in the car and plug straight into the deck and run an electric weed eater, barbecue – anything from the car.”
This allows farmers to use the ute as a battery to power electric tools for jobs out on the farm, he said.
The electric battery has a range of about 100km and the engine, 900km. It has a 2.5 tonne towing capacity, an 860kg payload capacity and is fully off-road, having been designed for New Zealand and Australian conditions.
The vehicle is slightly larger than a Ford Ranger and has both AC and DC charging.
“It’s probably the first time in the world that a ute has been designed for this market.
“It’s 500 horsepower. It’s zero to 100km/hour in 5.5 seconds, it’s cutting edge technology and the battery is super sustainable – they’ll last 100 years – at least 30 years in the car.
“It’s designed to be off-road and compete against the very best of the industry and it’s fully loaded with BYD technology.
“It’s a battery and a computer on wheels that happens to be a ute as well.”
Willmot said people can reserve a production slot for the Shark at Fieldays with production starting on the ute in September and delivery expected in October.