BYD Wins Grand Prix for the Second Consecutive Year The Grand Prix of “Japan EV of the Year 2024” Goes to BYD SEAL
ENECHANGE Ltd. (Head Office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Tomoya Maruoka) in collaboration with the EVsmart blog, which has been disseminating information on electric vehicles, hosted the “Japan EV of the Year 2024” event with the aim of promoting the future of electric vehicles and EV charging ports in Japan.
For the second consecutive year, the Grand Prix winner was chosen from BYD, with BYD’s SEAL claiming victory in a close contest. Additionally, Honda’s N-VAN e: and Hyundai’s IONIQ 5 N were awarded the Excellence Prize. This year, domestic vehicles also ranked among the top favorites.
Grand Prix: BYD/SEAL – 195 Points
General Voting: 117 Points / Evangelist Voting: 78 Points
BYD’s SEAL was praised in both the general and evangelist votes for its sophisticated and unique design. Equipped with a large 82.56 kWh battery, the AWD model achieves outstanding performance with 0-100 km/h acceleration in 3.8 seconds (5.9 seconds for the RWD model). Even with its advanced driving assistance features, its excellent cost-effectiveness is highly regarded, with prices starting at 5.28 million JPY (tax included). It is an exceptional EV that offers not only great performance but also a high-quality driving experience.
Outstanding Award: Honda/N-VAN e: – 182 Points
General Voting: 83 Points / Evangelist Voting: 99 Points
Honda’s N-VAN e: is a kei car commercial van that has been praised for its practicality and high-quality interior, making it appealing as a personal vehicle. Additionally, it features a 29.6 kWh battery, supports a maximum output of 50 kW for fast charging and 6 kW for Level 2 charging, reflecting its highly practical performance as an EV. Many comments have appreciated its potential as a tool for solving social issues, such as “The last mile kei van should be EV” and “It fits well with EV.”
Outstanding Award: Hyundai/IONIQ 5 N – 176 Points
General Voting: 85Points / Evangelist Voting: 91Points
Hyundai’s IONIQ 5 N has been highly praised for its design, which combines high-level circuit performance with sufficient practicality as a daily car. It is also ready to support the 350 kW CHAdeMO fast charging ports, which are expected to be installedin the future. Despite its price of 8.58 million JPY (including tax), many comments praise it as a “sports EV with both high performance and cost-effectiveness” and find the “pricing attractive,” with some even saying “it wouldn’t be surprising if it exceeded 10 million JPY.”
A total of 374 people participated in the voting, comprising 348 individuals in the General Voting and 26 Evangelists
To select the most outstanding “Japan EV of the Year 2024” from EVs released in Japan from October 2023 to November 2024, an online vote featuring 15 models was held from December 9, 2024, to January 31, 2025. Additionally, representatives from media outlets disseminating EV information and key figures from affiliated companies participated in the voting as evangelists. The total points from general and evangelist voting amounted to 1,142.
About Japan EV of the Year
ENECHANGE, which aims to realize a sustainable society through the proliferation of EV charging ports, and the EVsmart blog, which has been disseminating EV information since the early stages, launched the “Japan EV of the Year” project in 2022 as an initiative to select attractive EVs that meet consumer demands. The first winner in 2022 was the Nissan Sakura, and the second winner in 2023 is the BYD DOLPHIN.
Japan EV of the Year Official Website: https://japan-ev-of-the-year.enechange.jp/
ENECHANGE Ltd.
ENECHANGE is an energy technology company that promotes a carbon-free society through digital innovation, with the mission of Changing Energy For A Better World.
Founded in 2015 and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers in 2020 (now known as the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market, Securities Code: 4169), the company offers solutions across the entire energy retail value chain — including procurement, demand and supply management, retail and sales, and customer support — to meet the evolving needs of consumers and energy retailers in light of the “4Ds” of energy: Deregulation, Decentralization, Decarbonization and Digitalization.
Note : This document has been translated from the Japanese original for reference purposes only. In the event of any discrepancy between this translated document and the Japanese original, the original shall prevail.