Making a major entrance into the European long-haul truck sector, Chinese manufacturer BYD secures a full five-star Euro NCAP safety rating and the CitySafe award on its first attempt with the new ETT 44. 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. Fleet operators considering transitioning from diesel will be carefully weighing up the benefits of both top-tier safety and electric running costs.
Tested as a tractor unit with a 4x2 axle configuration, the ETT achieved 89 per cent 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 per cent 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.
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