The BYD e6 is a battery electric vehicle made by BYD Auto from 2009. It was one of the first Chinese electric cars to work in everyday fleet service, first as taxis in Shenzhen and later in cities in Europe, Asia and the Americas.
BYD e6 at a glance
| Maker | BYD Auto, Shenzhen, China |
|---|---|
| Introduced | 2009 |
| First fleet service | May 2010, 40 taxis in Shenzhen |
| Public sales in China | October 2011 |
| Battery | lithium iron phosphate (Fe) |
| Battery capacity | 60–70 kWh early cars, 82 kWh later |
| Claimed range | 300 km; 400 km with the 82-kWh battery |
| Power options | 75 kW, 75+40 kW, 160 kW, 160+40 kW |
| Drive | front-wheel drive; all-wheel drive with two motors |
| Fast charging | to 80 percent in 15 minutes |
| Sales in China | 34,862 through December 2016 |
The article is based on the English Wikipedia page on the BYD e6.
History of the BYD e6
First generation (2009)
The first-generation e6 was introduced in 2009 with a range of 300 km according to the maker. Its exterior and interior resemble the third-generation Honda Odyssey, with a redesigned front fascia and a shortened rear end.
Field testing in China began in May 2010 with 40 cars working as taxis in Shenzhen. Sales to the general public started in Shenzhen in October 2011, more than two years after the originally planned 2009 launch. BYD had intended to sell the car in the United States for US$35,000 before government incentives, but the launch was postponed several times; in October 2011 the company said retail sales would be delayed by at least 18 months because of the lack of charging infrastructure. In May 2013 BYD announced that the e6 would not be sold to retail customers in North America at all and would go only to fleets, at US$52,000, as the company concentrated on electric buses there.
Battery and powertrain
The e6 uses BYD’s Fe lithium iron phosphate battery, one of the company’s core technologies; all the chemical substances in it can be recycled. Most of the pack sits in the belly pan of the car. Four power combinations were offered: 101 hp (75 kW), 101+54 hp (75+40 kW), 215 hp (160 kW) and 215+54 hp (160+40 kW). Versions with two motors use one at the front and one at the rear and are therefore all-wheel drive. BYD says the battery can be charged to 80 percent in 15 minutes at a fast-charging station and to 100 percent in 40 minutes.
Later versions and markets
Early cars used packs of 60 to 70 kWh; at the 2010 North American International Auto Show BYD quoted a 330 km range, acceleration to 60 mph in under 14 seconds and a top speed of 140 km/h. The 40 Shenzhen taxis were quoted at 300 km, 140 km/h and 21.5 kWh per 100 km, and in August 2011 BYD said the range fell to 230–240 km with air conditioning or on hills and rose to 290–320 km in stop-and-go city driving. From 2016 the car was sold with an 82-kWh battery and a claimed range of 400 km; Singaporean reviewers estimated the real range at 370 km. In Germany the energy storage company Fenecon acted as a distributor and made cars available to journalists. e6 cars have worked as taxis in China, Colombia, Belgium, Singapore, the United States, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Indonesia. Sales in China reached 34,862 units by December 2016, and the e6 was the best-selling pure electric car in China in 2016.
The 2012 fire
On 26 May 2012 a drunk driver crashed a Nissan GT-R into an e6 taxi at 180 km/h in Shenzhen. The electric car caught fire after hitting a tree and all three occupants died. The Chinese investigative team concluded that the fire was caused by electric arcs from short-circuited high-voltage lines in the distribution box, which ignited combustible material in the car including interior materials and part of the battery pack; the team also found that the collisions were the cause of death.
Design and features
- Lithium iron phosphate battery: BYD’s Fe pack, with recyclable chemistry and a 10-year warranty quoted in 2009.
- Fast charging: 80 percent in 15 minutes and a full charge in 40 minutes at a fast station.
- Fleet focus: designed for taxis, police cars and rental fleets with long daily ranges.
- All-wheel drive option: two-motor versions with one motor on each axle.
BYD e6 versions
- Early 60–70 kWh cars (2010–2015): the first taxi fleet cars, with a 300 km quoted range.
- 82 kWh version (from 2016): the later long-range car, with a claimed 400 km.
- US fleet version: a 60-kWh battery and 160 kW motor announced in January 2011; fewer than 100 cars were imported by February 2016.
- Two-motor versions: 75+40 kW and 160+40 kW, with all-wheel drive.
The e6 was BYD’s first volume electric car; the petrol F0 and the compact F3 show the other side of the range. More cars are in the BYD collection.
Video: BYD e6 electric car review
Video by ELMOB on YouTube.
Sources
- BYD e6, English Wikipedia: history, specifications, markets, safety
