Electric cars are coming into India and the latest one is from a new name- BYD. Yes, you might be thinking about what is this car and what BYD is all about, but chances are that you might already use any of its products.
BYD or 'Build your dreams' is one of the biggest electric car makers but along with that, it has many separate business divisions including being the largest supplier of rechargeable batteries, making cell-phone shells, etc. BYD is all about electric cars and aims to sell one million EVs in a year. It is the largest EV player in China too. In India, it has launched its first product aimed at the commercial space. Yes, before you get excited, the e6 is for fleet operators and for commercial use only. While BYD might consider it for personal buyers, we drove the electric MPV in Chennai to see whether it can match up to something like an Innova in the fleet space.
The e6 is a large MPV built on a specific electric car platform. It is not a petrol or diesel car being turned into an EV. The advantage for that is space and wheelbase since electric cars are less complex. The e6 measures in at 4,695mm and looks longer than an Innova with a sleeker stance. It is a simple but nice looking design and in the blue/blac dual tone colour scheme it turned heads- notably most from Innova owners.
It gets LED DRLs, 17inch wheels and a nice chrome line at the rear which meets the character line at the side. The front does not get a usual grille but a simple design along with sharp looking headlamps. The paint finish and build quality seemed very good too.
An MPV is all about the interior and here the e6 has large doors which open wide. It's wheelbase at 2,800 is longer than most MPVs and that leads to a sense of space inside. The e6 is a 5-seater but the second row has a huge amount of legroom and headroom. You can easily be comfortable while a flat floor means three can also sit easily. Thigh support is good while the large windows add to the airy feeling too.
The boot at 580 litres is huge as well. Up-front the cabin design is simple but has a nice futuristic look. There is leather and the upholstery is of very good quality along with a premium touch. The dashboard also is well built but the lower half has some hard plastic. The steering wheel though has a blank space which robs some of the premiumness. What you will like though is the 10.1 inch rotatable touch screen which includes WiFi. There are some preloaded apps too while the touchscreen seemed responsive enough. The rotatable bit enables portrait viewing too. In terms of features the e6 has an air purifier, climate control with rear vents, a rear view camera, smart key, a tyre pressure monitoring system, 4 speaker audio system etc.
However, for the price, it does miss out on some crucial features like a rear armrest, no rear sunshade or even powered seats or a sunroof. That said, the massive space and boot would be suitable for hotels or fleet operators.
Let's talk about the main highlight which is the motor, batteries and range. Performance has been limited to 130km/h top speed along with 95hp and 180Nm. Where the e6 scores is its in-house blade battery technology which BYD claims is safer, more sturdy and gives a better range within 71.7kWh. The battery is sturdy and BYD has passed all sorts of tests including nail penetration test or even subjecting it to high heat levels. For a battery of that size, range has been said to be more due to the unique way it has been designed. The battery warranty is also higher at 8 year/5,00,000.
How does the e6 drive? Well it starts off smoothly as you might expect an EV to be. Despite its size, the light steering and good visibility makes city driving easy. What we also liked is the linear acceleration with no sudden jump and there is no sport mode or any of that sort of stuff. Instead, the e6 is smooth, silent and easy to use. You can adjust the brake regeneration levels and the system works from as low as 2km/h.
Out on the open roads, despite the low power figure, the e6 is effortless and goes upto its top-speed easily though it would have to be capped considering its for commercial use. The ride quality is smooth too and it feels easy to drive long distances in. With two passengers and loads of luggage, the 170mm unladen ground clearance posed no issue as well.
The most impressive bit is the range though. A claimed WLTC（city) range of 520km and a WLTC (combined) range of 415km with a single charge, makes it the most efficient EV on sale currently. In the real world, it also nearly delivers on that claim with our drive resulting in a range of 470/80km. You can easily do 500km with this and unlike some EVs, the range is directly proportional to the distance you drive. If you drive for 50kms, the range goes down by 50- not more. We also drove with the AC on. Some of its current owners do Mumbai-Ahmedabad easily.
There is support for both AC and DC fast charging, while a 7kW charger is included as an option. Currently sold in cities like Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Ahmedabad, Kochi, and Chennai, the e6 retails at Rs 29.15 lakh ex-showroom. The e6 does miss out on a 7-seater configuration, extra features which should have been there and it is more expensive than the Innova. But that is not what the e6 is about. Aimed as a commercial vehicle, the e6 provides an incredibly low running cost at Rs 1.59/km, smooth, effortless performance and huge range- factors that tilt things in its favour. It is ideal for fleet, hotel chains and commercial operators- especially with diesel losing steam these days. So do not be surprised if you see more of these on the roads soon.
What we like- Excellent range, space, comfort, refinement, battery reliability
What we do not- Lacks features and a 7-seater configuration
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