BYD stamp, road test. The most realistic challenge for Tesla Model 3

The BYD Seal is the Chinese weapon for the conquest of the world of electric vehicles and it is immediately clear that it is the opponent of the Tesla Model 3. A Class D sedan, with streamlined shapes, a range of 570 km from the declared WLTP range and an acceleration of 3.8 seconds from 0-100 km / h.

The technology is very interesting: e-Platform 3.0, 8-in-1 powertrain that combines all the electronics in a single “engine block” and a cobalt-free Blade Battery. In addition, it is the first model to use the Cell-to-Body system, which means that the battery is integrated into the bodywork, thus reducing overall dimensions.

This aspect needs further study because the base of the vehicle floor is constructed with battery components to manage its rigidity and balance its weight: there is a honeycomb structure in the battery pack (made of aluminium) which becomes the central element of the driving dynamics, the weight distribution is perfect, 50:50 between front and backWith a very low center of gravity. To complete the mechanical part we find next 5 multi-link trailing arms and dual gear steering.

Moving on to the motor, here we find many influences from Tesla who was the first to develop the concept of “integration”. BYD has used this inspiration and created a powertrain that brings all the elements together: the vehicle’s control unit, BMU (handles battery and cell management), engine control unit, DC-DC control unit, on-board charger, engine itself and transmission.

Furthermore, again, taking a cue from Tesla, here comes the efficient heat pump, operating from -30° to +60° and using a circuit that connects all of the vehicle’s cooling needs (interior, engine, electronics, battery) so as to improve temperature exchange and reduce waste. .

BYD stamp data sheet

• engineRear: permanent magnet synchronous electric motor. In an AWD system, the front motor is asynchronous
• power: 230 kW/313 PS and 360 Nm (rear wheel drive) – 390 kW (530 PS) and 670 Nm (4WD)
• 0-100 km/h: 5.9 sec (rear wheel drive), 3.8 sec (4×4)
• full speed: 180 km/h
• drums: 82.5 kWh LFP Blade Battery
• front suspension: independent, double arms
• rear suspension: independent, multi-link, five-arm
• turning radius: 5.7 metres
• Tires: 235/45 R19
• brakes: ventilated discs
• Tare: 1,750 kg
• Luggage compartment min/max: 400 liters
• Frank (front deck): 53 litres
• Length: 4800 mm
• Length: 1,875 mm
• to rise: 1,460 mm
• a step: 2,920 mm
• CD: 0.219
• Reloading: AC 11 kW, DC 150 kW
• heat pump: Yes, standard
• vehicle for download? Yes, 3 kW
• declared domain (WLTP): 570 km (rear wheel drive) – 520 km (four wheel drive)
• Declared Consumption (WLTP): 16.6 kWh/100 km (combined, rear-wheel drive) – 18.2 kWh/100 km (combined, AWD)

We’ve already talked about the Blade battery in the past: it’s BYD’s flagship car, and it’s hard to underestimate the car’s characteristics because it’s so thin, withstands drilling tests well, and uses a chassis with 172 cells visually create “blades”. (It is a slender rectangular parallelepiped) e Chemistry is LFPlithium iron phosphate mixture for the cathode.

BYD isn’t the only company using LFPs, keep in mind that their strength lies in the fact that they’ve been making batteries for decades and they designed an ultra-thin battery pack using this chemistry.

But what are the advantages of LFP batteries? First, they do without cobalt as a cathode material, which is expensive and its extraction is often associated with situations in which workers are exploited. Then they are more resistant: They tolerate temperatures better Extreme without reducing the risk of thermal runaway (or thermal drift, or thermal drift, from the English “thermal runaway”).

It is a situation in which the increase in temperature leads to another uncontrollable and uncontrollable increase, which may reach the risk of explosion. For this reason, EV manufacturers want to avoid this at all costs, and they do so with cooling solutions that run on hardware, which avoid short circuits, or passively cool by reducing heat retention or physically ‘disengaging’ the cells, and on software that takes care of By intervening frequently before a potential event occurs, this occurs in NMC as well as in LFP.

The advantage of LFPs, which Tesla also uses for example within range (where we also find NMC), is that they better withstand charge and discharge cycles without losing power over time, are less sensitive to temperature fluctuations and, as we said earlier, more heat tolerant.

The individual cells, which are long and thin, also serve a structural function because they replace the reinforcing beams that were present in the older generation of batteries. Many manufacturers still use this scheme (cells grouped into modules, modules inserted into the battery pack and cross-pieces that cross the packaging for boosting), but Tesla, CATL and BYD have gone one step further by delegating the boost function to the elements that make up the battery Each one has different solutions.

The electric car market is addicted to extreme power, and it is hoped that good cars with “normal” capabilities and capable of lowering costs will arrive soon. However, as a European debutant, BYD clearly chose the big numbers strategy with Seal, which is not dissimilar to what Tesla and many other Western or Korean manufacturers have done. On the other hand, we are talking about a D-class sedan which also requires more power to justify the costs, unlike the C-class where BYD has a crossover with more road-dependent and less extreme power.

• Single engine, rear wheel drive: 313 hp, 230 kW, 360 Nm, acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds, range of 570 km
• Dual engine, four wheel drive: 530 hp, 390 kW, 670 Nm, 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds, range of 520 km

Both versions Limited to a top speed of 180 km/hBoth have an 11kW 3-phase AC charger and support DC (Direct Current) fast charging. Max 150 kW (30-80% in 26 minutes, 10-80% in 37 minutes).

In the all-wheel drive version, a 160 kW asynchronous motor is added to the 230 kW permanent magnet synchronous motor for the rear wheel drive.

The battery is 82.5 kWh In both versions, Design (rear-wheel drive, weighing 2,055 kg) and Excellence-AWD (all-wheel drive, weighing 2,185 kg). With the vehicle mount system, you have a power output of 3 kilowatts, and the car essentially becomes a 3 kilowatt power source for other vehicles/devices.

The strategy chosen by BYD Seal is quite standard: There is no difference in equipment Between the single-engine version (Design) and the two-engine version (Excellence-AWD).

Both have it all: panoramic roof, 19-inch wheels, full LED headlights, automatic high beam, light and rain sensors, sport seats (front electric, ventilated and heated), 60-watt USB C and 18-watt USB A sockets, 10.25 Dash Display, Wireless Charging (2 x 15W), Dual-Zone Auto Climate, Heat Pump, 360° Camera, All ADAS Level 2 (including adaptive cruise control and lane keeping), App Remote Control, Keyless Entry, Infotainment System with 15.6-inch Rotating Display, OTA Updates, 4G SIM Card, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

And help? BYD plans to create 500 assistance points in Europe in 2024 because it knows very well that the crucial problem that made many Chinese car enthusiasts give up is precisely the problem of the workshop network capable of solving any problems (or providing assistance and spare parts in the event of an accident). These are the promises, and obviously we will have to see how the coverage program for Europe, and above all, for Italy, actually goes forward.

BYD Seal will hit the market in the fourth quarter of 2023, Delivery from November For the first customers who ordered it. there a guarantee It’s 6 years on the car and 8 years on the battery and electric motor. Pricing hasn’t been announced yet. the price It will be announced during IAA 2023 in a few days, and the signal at the moment is 1 offensive character less than 50,000 euros.