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Brought home a BYD e6: Initial impressions

28th August 2022, 09:04 by Ananth Iyer

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The worst possible range I was able to achieve was 395 km with a very aggressive driving style.

BHPian drstrange recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

BYD E6

Front Look

Lithium iron phosphate chemistry

White Dolphin

Dashboard view

The horrendous BYD logo screaming at you

Wide rear bench

Cavernous boot

Infotainment System

Screen horizontal layout

Google Maps a disaster

Best EQ setting

DC Fast Charging

Analog dials

Design Team

The blower control wheel feels like its built for a Rolex

Key Fob

Contents

Why I choose to go electric
My Courtship with EVs
Initial considerations
How I came across BYD
My initial apprehensions
Research
Hands on experience
Ownership experience

Why I chose to go electric

My interest in EVs started 5 years ago when me and my brother used to geek out about cars then he used to own a BMW i3 and used to talk about EVs and their advantages over ice engines
Then my interest in EVs further increased after reading the autobiography of Elon Musk where they describe EV technology and how it's superior over its ICE counterparts
With raising fuel costs which were irrationally being increased and when we have superior and environmentally friendly technology why not consider it
I have driven Nexon EV and was blown away by the drive and was instantly wanting to buy one. There's a striking contrast between the drive of EV and Nexon diesel . (I am a diesel fan) I have very little or no interest in petrol powered cars so when ever I am saying ICE I am referring to diesel
Nexon EV's instant torque in the sports mode and the way it handled got me really excited then that's the first taste I got regarding electric propulsion technology
Only practical issue that kept me off is the limited range because when I asked the showroom sales manager "How much range is possible if I drive aggressively in sports mode with ac fully on "? He replied " 120" km that put a nail in my EV dreams coffin.
My usage is very little around city /town . I use my cars mainly for long trips 280-500 km in a day sometimes 800 km for which even though EV propulsion technology looked like a possibility in the far future no way now
Then came MG ZS EV which got me excited even though expensive I was thrilled by the larger battery and even more power compared to the Nexon EV
Unfortunately the real world range is from 280-300 which is barely sufficient
At least I wanted a car that's not as crazy fast but with similar performance to VW Vento, or a Ford Ecosport or a Creta but with all the virtues of a electric drive train like instant torque and super silent drive and a good range of min 500 kms
With the introduction of the new MG ZS EV with updated battery pack I thought of buying it as a stand by car because of my courtship with EV propulsion technology
I booked a red MG ZS EV which I was eagerly waiting for since the waiting period is 8 freaking months after I have booked it I continued my research on EV and battery technologies

Some points that bothered me were

EVs don't like to be charged to 100%
They don't like to be discharged 100%
So effectively they should be maintained from 20% -80% which shows that effective range is only 70% of the real world range which is accounting to only 260-280 kms for the zs ev
Lithium ion batteries with Nickle based chemistries should not be DC charged continuously for more than 3 times which could damage few cells so they recommend a full charge up to 100% only once in 2 weeks that too with AC slow charger to balance the cell voltages
That was a major disappointment but I swallowed that bitter pill and I was waiting for my zs ev delivery which was still 7 months away
Then one day I came across a video in YouTube regarding BYD e6 which is in the size of an Innova with 500 kms of range
According to that YouTube Vlogger the drive is not as exciting how an electric car should be
Then I thought of giving it a try and googled extensively for BYD e6 dealers in Andhra Pradesh but was able to find one in Chennai called him he said he can deliver the car but how can I buy something without seeing it . So thought it's a bunch of sour grapes and left it
Then one day I got a call from BYD dealer in vijayawada saying that if I am interested he would offer a test drive I accepted it and he arrived .
Before I saw the vehicle it wasn't too impressive to look at in the YouTube videos and I am very skeptical about the built quality, suspension and the REAL World RANGE and service and availability of spares etc
The moment I saw the car the test drive car is in white looked pretty good
I was instantly impressed by the Solid European /German car like built quality and stunned by suspension setup .
The car has very neutral and comfortable handling felt very nimble like a small hatch back to drive .
After a brief test drive I have doubts about the real world range of 500 kms which I thought was a marketing gimmick but to my pleasant surprise it's not the car is delivering 480 kms of real world range even if driven with full load with ac on and when your normal with the throttle .
Byd uses blade batteries which use lithium iron phosphate chemistry which is known for its long life and best part is the car can be dc charged throughout its life ! Up to 100% without any significant degradation of the battery life
Lithium iron phosphate batteries have relatively low energy density compared to the lithium / nickle based chemistries but that was taken care by restricting the motor power and that instant electric punch and wheel spin
Battery manager system was perfectly calibrated to deliver more miles
Under 50 lakhs there's no other car offering a 71 kwh battery
Max we are getting is only 50 kwh at that price range
For our Indian roads and speed restrictions above 120 kms per /hr on most highways and most of the highways with big potholes making high speeds unsafe felt BYD e6 suits our Indian roads the best
Tata and MG EVs are more fun to drive as they have peppier throttle response and high speed capabilities
Which remain as a dead potential which we cannot practically be used
BYD offers more space and comfort and a with far superior range which translates into better peace of mind and lesser calculations during a long tripwhile charging the car we can just blindly top it up till 100% and drive
So considering all the above points I have cancelled my MG ZS EV booking and booked BYD e6 after my 3rd test drive for which Mr. Pratap Mukerjee CEO of pps motors suggested me to go for white Color and get the roof and pillars wrapped with piano black body wrap. I was convinced
Couple my critic friends have also test driven the BYD e6 and everyone were speechless and were unable to find any fault with the car

Ownership experience

Exterior design :

The exterior can be described at best non offensive but the front end bit polarising especially for ppl used to seeing ICE cars with front grill will be solely missing it overall looks average nothing great to mention .

Interior design :

The interior can be described at best as minimalist and spacious you can't find one unnecessary feature and not even a single necessary feature was vomitted. It's minimal,spacious and functional

Steering design :

The steering is a flat bottom one with good grip and the size is just right not too small or too big I wish someone could have designed the horrendous looking Blue oval logo better There's no leather wrapping on the steering wheel but feels good not a big miss The steering is adjustable for both reach and rake which is a big plus

Driver seat design :

First thing you feel after sitting in the drivers seat is the floor is high and you lack underthigh support for which you need to push the seat back extend your legs to keep you relaxed on a long drive No ergonomics issues everything falls into place naturally the petdals position is spot on no additional adjustment for lumbar support is possible The seat is manually adjustable and there's height adjustment also which is a good inclusion Overall seat comfort is decent sums up as average

There are ample number of USB ports and the driver side armrest is having a deep storage which also houses the USB ports. They are type A There's a small cubby hole closed with a door above the drivers right knee and there are headlight levels and instrument cluster brightness adjustment scroll wheels on the right hand side

Lights:

Automatic headlights are given the DRL are led but the headlights are halogen which is disappointing . No additional fog lamps Overall headlights and road visibility during night time is average . Recently we are spoiled by manufactures providing brilliant projectors with led lights

Interior cabin light in the front & rear is very bright led light which is white in Color very pleasant .

Glove box is big and can hold many things Door pockets are small best for small bottles The cup holders are large and ergonomically placed The parking brake and the rotary gear knob are very intuitive to use

Rear bench :

Rear bench is very wide and comfy but the lack of underthigh support due to the high floor continues its presence felt at the back which is compensated by the huge legroom and good headroom . The seats are comfortable and offer good support for long drives . The default backrest angle is placed comfortably and cannot be adjusted Overall rear seat is excellent in terms of space and comfort They could have included a hand rest in the middle which is sorely missing and would have definitely added to the comfort .

Rear we have only one blower but the ac is very powerful chills the cabin very effectively inspite of a single blower at the rear

Another unique feature is even the rear passengers must wear a seat belt otherwise the seatbelt warning is triggered and it also indicated which passenger is not wearing the seat belt

Boot:

Huge boot
Full sized spare
No Frunk

Infotainment :

Response :

It's slick and responsive lags slightly when opening sideloaded Apps like chrome ,3rd party music service or maps but the inbuilt functions work flawlessly

Intuitiveness: The interface is very intuitive and natural to use including the Aircon adjustments

Side loaded apps :

Side loading apps is pretty easy but all the sideloaded apps don't work properly
Best app I found that worked was Amazon prime music the music quality improved after installation of that app and it became my default app of choice but it works only in portrait mode
Music quality and best settings
The music quality is very good but the speakers needed to be burned in before they sound their best . The overall system is excellent in mid and high frequency sounds the vocals are crisp and rich sounding very natural sounding
The high frequencies are very well balanced without sounding muddy or too harsh
The biggest drawback is the low frequency response of the system which lacks low end and I feel the system lacks power.
Maybe adding a power amplifier compensates for the lack of power
Due to lack of power we need to turn up the volume to 26-28 to get it sing . If your not an audiophile better don't meddle with it

Google maps disaster:

Google maps are a disaster there's no native support we need to juggard by side loading it
Downloading Google play services and maps apk . After all the hardwork you will be pleasantly greeted with a large maps view which looks even better in portrait orientation
That's where all the fun ends
Maps app is laggy and it can't detect your current location and the tracking is hopeless . I doubt this android tablet lacks GPS or the side loaded app which we downloaded can't access the gps in the tablet is what causing this issue

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth:

The car can be connected to Internet via Wi-Fi which can be done by tethering your phone or having a device like JIO Wi-Fi
No android auto or Apple car play
Reverse camera quality is excellent it comes with parking sensors and dynamic guidelines that change with your steering position

YouTube/chrome :

YouTube app doesn't work but can be accessed via chrome once you get the catch of it quality is very good

Driving experience :

To sum up the driving experience is good The ergonomics and the drive Train are spot on ! You don't take a lot of time adjusting yourself to drive a new car it feels very familiar , predictable and natural
Start the car by pressing the start button you will know that the car started as you feel the ac comes alive and the digital display prompts you to shift to D
Once into D just drive away the parking break is auto release the car is super silent except for a creepy siren like sound which comes below 30 kmph and disappears after that
It is pedestrian warning system
The throttle response is decent and in no way the car feels under powered below speed of 100
only when you start accelerating beyond 100 kmph the car start to have delayed speed buildup but performance feels adequate similar to or slightly better than Creta 1.5 diesel automatic . Initial and mid throttle responses are instant And no prior calculation's needed for overtaking . It's only beyond 100 kmph you need to be cautious while overtaking .
Steering is aka Audi/VW style light and easy to manouver
Ride quality is superb bump absorption is in the league of Duster/Hexa . Just be careful about the ground clearance otherwise potholes and road undulations feel non existent . Ride remains flat with minimal to no rocking movement the suspension also does its job very silently without any thuds and noises . The tyres that came with the car are Chinese made But are offering good grip and very little tyre noise
The cabin insulation is superb wind and road noises are kept to a minimum what we have is a very silent cabin
The doors are also well damped and give a very reassuring solid thud every time we close them . The built quality felt like a German car it is in the league of VW Passat or a Skoda superb

Battery life :

Superb! it puts cars costing 1crore to 1.5 crores to shame
The battery life felt like a dream come true under mixed real world usage we are able to get 460-480 kms with normal driving
We made trips from Rajahmundry to Hyderabad total distance from my house to my relatives house in Hyderabad is 485 km we stopped at Suryapet @ seven DC charged for 30 min after reaching hyderabad we were left with 48 km range
Which makes the BYD E6 as practical as any ICE car total journey wont take longer than a fossil fuel car .
The car was driven by my driver who knew nothing about EVs. He maintained speeds between 110-115 on highway another trip from rajahmundry to vizag and back on the same day without charging. We started with around 88% charge and on the way back had to deal with range anxiety and had to turn off the ac for around the last 40 kms . When I enquired the driver he said he drove pedal to metal and crossed speed of 120 kmph on the highway by the time the car reached home the charge was zero %. But made it in a single charge
The worst possible range I was able to achieve was 395 km we drove like mad lunatics pedal to metal continuously and ac on full blast and fully loaded and with luggage

Charging:

Best part is ease of charging your BYD
It supports both AC and DC charging
No hassle of charging only till 80% and fortnight slow charging top ups
It can be charged till 100% via dc fast charger throughout the life of the car •Robust battery technology

Charging speed: