As Western automakers are shifting their short-term strategies to include more hybrids and plug-in hybrids amid a temporary slowdown in the growth of all-electric vehicle sales, China's BYD—already a full-EV powerhouse—is already ahead of the curve.
Even if it’s highly unlikely that a BYD-made car will make its way to the United States anytime soon, considering the impending tariff hike on Chinese-made EVs that will kick off on August 1, the company already has a footing in Europe and several other parts of the world.
And these markets will soon benefit from BYD’s fifth-generation plug-in hybrid technology which promises a combined range of up to 1,300 miles. Two new models that use this system were announced this week and we'll dive into both here.
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BYD's hybrid game
BYD is China's largest automaker. It stopped making gasoline-only cars in 2022 to focus on plug-in hybrids and all-electric cars. It's latest PHEV technology, now in its fifth generation, promises an impressive average fuel efficiency of 81 miles per gallon in the rather lenient and outdated NEDC testing procedure.
We’ll kick off by saying that the impressive range figure is based on the very lenient CLTL testing procedure, which is known to produce figures that are almost impossible to reach in real-world conditions.
Furthermore, BYD claims its new Seal 06 and Qin L sedans–the first to benefit from the latest PHEV tech–can cover that many miles as long as both the high-voltage battery and the fuel tank are filled to the brim.
The two cars are technically identical, featuring a 1.5-liter gasoline engine that makes 99 horsepower (74 kilowatts) and 93 pound-feet of torque. Depending on the trim level, this diminutive combustion engine supplies power to either a 10-kilowatt-hour battery or a 15.8-kilowatt-hour pack.
Gallery: BYD Seal 06 DM-i
The lower-spec versions, which start at the equivalent of $13,750 in China, pair the battery with a 161 hp electric motor and have an NEDC-rated fuel economy of 81 miles per gallon, while the electric efficiency is CLTC-rated at 5.8 miles/kWh. The all-electric range is CLTC-rated at 49 miles.
The fancier trims that get the larger battery have a more powerful electric motor that makes 214 hp, enabling an all-electric range of 74 miles (CLTC) on a full charge.
Gallery: BYD Qin L DM-i
BYD claims the efficiency gains compared to the previous-generation PHEV system come courtesy of an artificial intelligence-enabled energy consumption management system, which is likely a fancy way of saying there’s a computer that decides when to shut off the gas engine and let the electric motor do its thing.
Inside, both the Seal 06 and the Qin L get a large digital instrument cluster and a rotating infotainment touchscreen as standard, while the optional equipment list includes things like a panoramic sunroof, a Level-2 capable advanced driving assistance system and heated and ventilated seats.
