Not long ago, BYD became the world's first car company to stop production of fuel vehicles, at least 3 years ahead of its competitors. Why is it so confident? After test driving the Han DM-i, everything was clear.
BYD Han DM-i 121KM
Body: Executive class sedan, length 4975mm, width 1910mm, height 1495mm, wheelbase 2920mm, fuel tank volume 50L, luggage compartment volume -L, curb weight -kg
Engine: in-line four-cylinder, displacement 1497mL, maximum power 102kW (139PS)/-rpm, maximum torque 231N·m/-rpm, fuel label 92#, emission standard country VI
Hybrid system: the maximum power of the motor is 145 kW (197 PS), the maximum torque is 316 N·m, and the battery capacity is 18.3 kWh
Drivetrain: E-CVT gearbox, front-mounted front drive
Chassis: Front McPherson rear multi-link independent suspension, electric power steering, front ventilated disc rear disc brakes, tire size 245/45 R19
Driving performance: 0-100km/h acceleration of 7.9s, minimum state of charge fuel consumption (NEDC) 4.2L/100km
The first thing to explain is that BYD's discontinuation is a traditional fuel vehicle, which does not include a plug-in hybrid vehicle that is also equipped with an internal combustion engine. Instead, the brand sees plug-in hybrids as an indispensable stage on the road to pure electrification. BYD itself has a complete electric technology and supply chain, the cost is controllable, and it is also very conducive to the development of plug-in hybrid models.
From the beginning of its existence, the Han family is a series of plug-in hybrid and pure electric "two-legged walking", and its plug-and-mix models have gradually expanded from the initial version to both the economical DM-i and the high-performance four-wheel drive flagship DM-p, whether it is pure electric endurance, acceleration ability or fuel consumption level has made significant progress over the beginning.
Among them, DM-i is divided into two endurance lengths: 121 km and 242 km. Since the 242 km model has not been scheduled due to capacity impact, we test-drive one of the most inconspicuous models in the series: dm-i 121 km.
Since it is an economical DM-i, the test drive event has arranged a fuel-saving competition according to the convention: first by setting the EV mode, the battery power is consumed to the lowest level (20%), and then the tens of kilometers of race routes are mixed with high-speed, national highways, mountain roads and municipal roads.
According to the organizers, the fuel consumption of HamM-i on this route is as low as 3.5 liters/100 km. At first, I felt that this achievement was not particularly reliable, after all, this is an administrative-grade car, and the fuel consumption of the same level of plug-in and mixed cars is at least about 7 liters. To my surprise, however, my final result was fixed at 3.6 liters/100 km, and I did not use any special operations other than turning off the air conditioning and driving as evenly as possible.
Among the several cars participating in the competition at the same time, the lowest fuel consumption did run a score of 3.5 liters, and the highest "abandonment race" type runner had a fuel consumption of only about 5 liters. Of course, this competition is not typical, because the relationship between fuel consumption and the use environment is too large. Its enlightenment to us is that DM-i should charge as much as possible, but even if it can't be charged, its fuel consumption level will be much lower than that of ordinary fuel vehicles.
After the race, you can finally drive the car without restrictions. The Han DM-i is equipped with a 1.5T engine for the Xiaoyun series plug-in and hybrid, with a maximum power of 139 horsepower. It features a Miller cycle and high compression ratio design with a thermal efficiency of up to 40.12%. It is actually difficult to comment on the performance of this engine, because it does not start often in normal driving, and even if it is started, it is very quiet, and it does not feel the switching and superposition of power.
The 121 km version of the DM-i is fitted with a 197 hp electric motor on the front axle, working in tandem with the gasoline engine via a highly integrated EHS mixing system. The indicators of the entire power system are not prominent, but in actual use, it is enough to meet the requirements of the vast majority of users for power.
In addition, Han DM-i also reflects the advantages of plug-in hybrid vehicles over pure electric vehicles, and the power reserve when driving at high speed is quite sufficient. It should be said that BYD's technical accumulation in pure electric is a major guarantee for the good performance of Han DM-i, and the blade battery it uses, 80 kilowatts of power safety boost fast charging, and wide temperature range high efficiency heat pump air conditioner are all derived from this.
The wide body is another innate advantage of the HamM-i, so even if the suspension is soft overall, it can remain stable during cornering and high-speed cruising. Good shock absorption and NVH design significantly improve the driving texture of this car, which can be said to be worthy of the positioning of BYD's flagship model. The nearly 5-meter-long body not only has a powerful aura, but also brings ample space inside the car.
Compared with before, dm-i has also been adjusted in appearance, the most significant change is the newly designed taillight: its outline and tail curve are better integrated, and when lit, it can also present a Chinese knot pattern, which is very different. Inside, the interior design has also been upgraded and can be optionally equipped with a comfortable one-piece sports seat. However, compared with the fine workmanship, I think the shape and color of the interior should be improved, and the display that can be rotated currently looks abrupt and lacks necessity.
The Han DM-i has recently been listed with the Han family, and the performance of this basic model is enough to prove that BYD's plug-in hybrid model can stand alone. In this way, it is not surprising that BYD can make the decision to stop the production of fuel vehicles.
The author of this article is Kick Car Gang Alai