Looking at the new energy vehicle companies established in recent years, it is not difficult to see that almost every car company attaches great importance to SUV models. Ideal Auto has even only made one SUV model for many years since its establishment. In addition to the preferences of the car company’s founders, the record-breaking sales of new energy SUV models is also an important reason that prompted manufacturers to make such a decision.

Not long ago, Tesla launched a model that can be called a bombshell in the industry - the Model Y Standard Range Edition. Compared with the previously launched Long Range Version, the price was further reduced to 276,000 yuan, causing a number of media and consumers to exclaim "Tesla is going crazy!"

Recently, with the official delivery of this model, many consumers who originally planned to choose other pure electric SUV models have begun to waver, but is the Model Y standard range version really the best choice among pure electric SUVs?

Today, we have found two equally popular models of the same price on the market: the Alpha T 2021 653S+ and the BYD Tang EV 2021 Long-Range Premium Edition. We mainly compare them from three perspectives: performance, range and aesthetics, and recommend the most suitable model to you.

Performance comparison: Model Y is far ahead

As a pure electric SUV, the biggest difference from traditional fuel SUVs is the difference in power performance. Since electric motors have the inherent advantage of starting faster than fuel engines, pure electric SUVs can reach the maximum speed faster. Therefore, pure electric SUVs basically beat fuel SUVs in a race on a straight track. This is also the reason why many consumers who like fast cars choose pure electric SUVs.

However, despite this, there is still a huge gap in the maximum speed of pure electric SUV models of the same level, so it is not correct to think that pure electric SUVs of the same level are all very fast.

Among the three cars we selected this time, Tesla's Model Y defeated the Arcfox Alpha T and BYD Tang EV with its powerful speed performance.

First of all, in terms of electric motors, the Model Y has a horsepower of up to 299, while the Alpha T has only 218 horsepower, far behind the Model Y. The Tang EV performs slightly better, but it is only 245 horsepower, which is still a big gap from Tesla.

The data of this set of motors is also reflected in their respective top speeds. Model Y has a top speed of 217 km/h, which is higher than Alpha T's 180 km/h. Although Tang EV has higher horsepower than Alpha T, it is at the bottom with a top speed of 160 km/h due to its heavy body of 3060 kg (Alpha T is only 2575 kg).

In addition to outperforming its two competitors in terms of top speed, Model Y also surpasses Alpha T's 360N·m and Tang EV's 330N·m with its ultra-high torque of 440N·m. This not only makes Model Y have an extremely high top speed, but also its 0-100 km/h acceleration of only 5.6 seconds, which once again beats Alpha T's 8.4s and Tang EV's 8.9s.

It can be said responsibly that if we only look at the power performance, for Tesla Model Y, the performance of Alpha T and Tang EV is like two fuel SUVs, and Tesla's power performance is completely beyond the reach of the two.

In addition, because the Model Y has a lower chassis and a double wishbone independent suspension at the front, the driving control is still better than the other two models that use McPherson independent suspension even at high speeds.

In general, Tesla Model Y is a complete leap forward in terms of performance, providing consumers with the opportunity to experience a high-performance SUV at the same price, and also demonstrating Tesla's deep accumulation in automotive power system design.

Endurance comparison: running long is success

However, we also need to note that when we choose a new energy vehicle model, we cannot just look at its power performance, but also need to pay attention to its battery life. After all, if it cannot provide long-term battery life, then many car usage scenarios will be limited by battery life, resulting in a poor actual driving experience.

From this point of view, the Alpha T, with its inherent advantage of a 93.6kWh large-capacity ternary lithium battery, achieves a NEDC range of 653km, making it the most impressive range king among the three models. At the same time, due to the strong fast charging performance of the ternary lithium battery, the entire battery can be fully charged in just 0.58 hours.

BYD has the ability to independently develop and produce batteries. Although it only equips the Tang EV with 86.4kWh lithium iron phosphate batteries, it provides the first owner with unlimited years and mileage warranty service. This also allows consumers who have always wanted to try a pure electric SUV but are worried about battery replacement issues in the future to dispel their doubts and buy with peace of mind. This is still a very good practice.

In comparison, the Model Y Standard Range Edition at the same price is not so authentic. Not only does it use a lithium iron phosphate battery with a capacity of only 60kWh, but it also takes 1 hour to fully charge. It has no advantage over the fast charging of Alpha T and Tang EV.

Although Tesla has always claimed that its battery management system is well-designed, the NEDC mileage of Model Y did not perform miracles in terms of the absolute battery capacity gap. It only reached 525km, lagging behind Tang EV's 565km and far behind Alpha T.

Therefore, even if the performance of Model Y is extremely good, its short range will seriously affect the actual driving experience of consumers. The NEDC range of 525km is more than enough for commuting in the city, but it is basically helpless in the face of long-distance travel in winter, so it is a very time-sensitive thing to want to use the full performance of Model Y Standard Range after purchasing it.

Therefore, if you have long-distance travel needs and care about the car's power performance, then the Alpha T with a top speed of 180Km/h and a NEDC of 653km is the best choice for you.

Aesthetic contrast: from outside to inside

If you show the Tang EV to someone who doesn't know much about this car, then if that person only looks at the front of the car, they would easily think it is a fuel car. Although this sounds hard to believe, it is actually not impossible.

Tang EV and Tang DM use the same platform design. The biggest difference between the two is that Tang EV is a pure electric car, while Tang DM is a hybrid car. However, there is not much difference between the two in appearance. Because BYD simply replaced the internal fuel engine with a pure electric engine, the front of Tang EV still retains the grille design for engine heat dissipation. The whole car looks very unlike a pure electric car.

The Tang EV has a tough styling and a more masculine design. The through-type taillights at the rear of the car are very domineering. If the body of the car is black, the whole car will have a strong aura, which is suitable for consumers who like tough-style SUVs.

The Alfa T has a similar body shape to the Tang EV, but because it was developed with pure electric vehicles as the basic direction, it has no traces of "gasoline to electric". The front design without a grille is extremely smooth, but also sharp.

Although the body lines are designed to be rigid, the streamlined structure of the whole vehicle makes it look less dull than a business car. It looks younger visually, and the hidden door handles are in line with current aesthetics. It also has a through-type taillight design, but because of the body design, it lacks a bit of domineering compared to Tang EV.

The design of Model Y is almost completely different from that of Tang EV and Alpha T. The body of the car has a strong sense of sportiness, but it does not give people a "tough guy" feeling. The design is more neutral. In order to reduce wind resistance, Tesla chose a relatively low-lying design, but this also brought problems such as a low chassis and poor passability.

In terms of interior, both Tang EV and Alpha T have luxurious styles, with large areas of leather covering and filling in the car. However, the contrasting color design of Tang EV's interior is somewhat inconsistent with that of Alpha T. At the same time, since the center console of Alpha T adopts a long strip design integrated into the driving console, the sense of technology is also stronger. Therefore, between the two models, the interior design style of Alpha T is better looking and more elegant.

The interior design of Model Y continues the design gene of Model 3 - simplicity. Of course, in this price range, I think it is not a big problem to call it simple. Anyway, Model Y is also a car priced at 300,000 yuan, so Tesla should redesign it.

Overall, BYD's Tang EV, to be honest, is limited by the engineering design's accommodation of Tang DM. The whole vehicle has too many baggage that does not belong to a pure electric SUV. The heavier body also makes its power performance poor, and it has no obvious endurance advantage over Model Y. Therefore, I hope that BYD can optimize this model in the future and launch a version that can compete with Model Y and Alpha T as soon as possible.

In terms of car buying advice, if you don’t have too many long-distance travel needs, mainly use it for commuting, and like high-performance models, then there is no problem in directly choosing the Model Y Standard Range version; and if you want faster charging, elegant interior and good range, then Alpha T will be a better choice.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.