The BYD ETT 44 premiered at Hannover with its debut coinciding with a 5-star EuroNCAP safety assessment and a CitySafe award for vision.

The ETT 44 is specifically targeted at Europe markets, with a 4x2 tractor configuration capable at working at 44t GCM.

It uses a 651kWh version of BYD’s `Blade’ battery and the truck operates on a 851-volt architecture with a rated power output of 743PS and a peak output of 1,000PS.

BYD says the ETT 44 has a range of about 600km and employs the “Flash Charging” rapid charge technology from its automotive range.

“We have already put Flash Charging into practice in passenger vehicles. Today, we are bringing this technology to commercial vehicles, starting with our trucks. With 1.5 Megawatts of charging power, it can charge from 20% to 80% in about 20 minutes – delivering up to 248 miles (400km) of range ,” says Stella Li, Executive Vice President of BYD. 

Using a 420kW charger the 20-80% charge time is about an hour and provides an additional 400km of range. The Blade battery (LFP) has a 10-year, 1.2 million kilometre warranty.

The ETT 44 has been developed with a full suite of active safety and driver assist technologies and was confirmed with the EuroNCAP 5-star rating as the European safety authority announced its latest round of test results on the opening day of the Hannover show.

As the first long-haul heavy electric truck evaluated under Euro NCAP’s truck safety regime, the ETT 44 demonstrates how new market entrants are prioritising safety just as much as the performance of new electric powertrains.

Tested as a 4x2 tractor unit, the ETT achieved 89% in Safe Driving, driven by excellent direct vision from its low cab mounting height, lower door vision window, and digital eMirrors which use a camera-based monitoring system (CMS).

However, Euro NCAP’s testing highlighted areas where BYD’s active safety functions still have room for improvement. With a 73% Crash Avoidance score, performance fell slightly behind leading competitors in relation to frontal vehicle-to-vehicle and lane departure collision prevention, indicating that several driver assistance systems require further refinement.

“Euro NCAP welcomes BYD as a new challenger to the European heavy vehicle market,” says Matthew Avery, Director of Strategic Development Euro NCAP.

“This long-haul electric truck will cause a stir, with a strong focus on safety and a five-star rating. We look forward to working with BYD on further developing the company’s safety strategy in commercial vehicles.”