Byton dramatically tests upcoming electric car in snowy Inner Mongolia

It’s a common pre-launch ritual for a new car to get sent somewhere remote and desolate to see how it can handle the elements, particularly cold weather. So that’s what China-based Byton did for its forthcoming all-electric SUV, the M-Byte. 

The company announced Monday night that it sent the car – known for its screen-filled interior – to Inner Mongolia in China for testing, where it drove thousands of miles on open road and tracks. The vehicles were tested in cold temperatures and snowy conditions for durability, powertrain calibration for certain road conditions, and tests to see how the chassis, car body, battery system, air condition and heating system all work in sub-optimal situations.

The SUV is supposed to be available in China by the end of 2019 and then in North America by the end of the following year. Daniel Kirchert, Byton CEO and co-founder, said in a statement that after the extreme testing the car proved it could handle the series of tests and its on track for that production schedule. 

The electric vehicle even withstood horse traffic:

Tesla has also had to prove its electric vehicles and batteries can withstand freezing temperatures. The Model 3 underwent extreme cold weather testing at a Tesla facility in Alaska, while the Model S was sent through its paces in wintery Minnesota.

BMW’s upcoming i4 electric car battled the snow and chill in northern Sweden just last week, while Volvo has also used the harsh conditions of the Arctic circle to push the limits of its vehicles during testing. 

It’s all very extreme.