Short Drive: To Dhulikhel With The New BYD e6

Cimex Inc., the official distributor of BYD, had recently organized a test drive of its electric vehicle in Dhulikhel, Kavre. The company had organized a brand promotion program by inviting people from the industry, commerce and political sectors of Kavre district.More than 50 people participated in the test drive program organized at Himalayan Horizon, one of the oldest hotels in Dhulikhel. Mayor of Dhulikhel Municipality Ashok Benju, who was present as the special guest in the program, said that electric vehicles would be important in the municipality's plan to reduce carbon emissions. We too were one of those 50 people fortunate enough to partake in such an event. On top of that, we had the chance to extensively test out the latest model of the BYD e6 SUV.Here are our thoughts.Looking at the new BYD e6, there is no mistaking that this SUV has improved in every way compared to its predecessor. BYD has given the new e6 some nice design touches like the unique nose styling with small hexagonal cut-outs in place of a traditional grille – which the brand says uses its ‘Dragon Face’ design language – the slick, swept-back headlights with LED Daytime Running Lights, and the neatly styled LED tail-lights.On the whole, BYD has kept the styling fairly contemporary and minimalist with only the strong shoulder line and kink in the rear window line giving it some personality. The dual five-spoke, 17-inch alloy wheel design is a bit simple but good looking nonetheless.Step inside and you’ll be greeted by a neatly laid out dashboard finished in black. You get 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system taking centre stage. The touchscreen brings an Android-based operating system and onboard Wi-Fi and an app store. Unfortunately, this touchscreen does not have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto support, which is acceptable given the apps it does support. What this screen does have is a pretty neat party trick – it can be rotated 90 degrees to make it a portrait-oriented screen. In portrait mode, the screen can display more information in apps like Google Maps and is more intuitive to navigate for smartphone users.The cabin is largely devoid of any physical buttons as all the climate controls are incorporated into the touchscreen. The only physical buttons are positioned on the centre console. Other features include an informative 5.0-inch coloured MID, tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment, steering-mounted media controls, keyless entry and go, tyre pressure monitoring system (TMPS), CN95 medical-grade air filtration system and rear parking camera.Seating in the e6 is comfortable, the driver seat comes with loads of adjustment even though they're manual. Visibility is spectacular thanks to the high seating position of the SUV and large windows all around. The rear seats are quite comfortable, with soft cushioning on the seats, a large amount of knee room and headroom. The passenger space is so large that you can lounge on the back seat with one leg over the other without bothering the passenger next to you.The BYD e6 also comes with a proper boot fit for an SUV. The e6 has managed to eke out a cavernous 580 litres of space. According to the carmaker, this is enough for four large and one small cabin bag size suitcase. Additionally, given the flat floor and squarish shape, the space available is very usable, and there is even enough space below the boot floor for a space-saver spare wheel and basic tools.The BYD e6 has used its in-house developed Blade battery technology, which it claims is one of the safest batteries on the market. BYD’s confidence in the Blade battery’s safety standard is not unfounded, as it comfortably passed its internal safety tests, which includes the nail penetration test, with no signs of fires or explosions after impact, the overcharging to 260 percent test, the extreme heat test (battery heated up to 300°C), as well as the crush test and bend test.The e6 features a 71.7kWh battery pack that powers a single electric motor developing 95hp and 180Nm. On a full charge, the e6 has a claimed range of 522 km. While this number is great on paper, what’s more impressive is that in the real world, the range we got was actually remarkably close to the claimed one.We drove the e6 from the BYD showroom at Naxal to Himalayan Horizon Hotel at Dhulikhel. The e6 was at 39% battery when the drive began, which is already an anxiety triggering figure to many. We reached the hotel, which is exactly 30 km away spending only 8% battery. This equates to 3.75 km for every percent of battery. Mind you that the road was uphill traffic.Then on the drive back we did the same road back to the showroom with mostly downhill this time and the e6 SUV took only 5% battery to cover 30 km this time. That equates to 6 km for every percent of battery. Averaging the two instances the BYD e6 SUV on our test drive gave an average range of 4.875 km for 1 % of battery. Which equates to 487 km of range on a full charge. Which means... You don't need to worry.In terms of charging, the BYD e6 can use a 60kW DC fast charger that takes just 90min to give a full charge, a 40kW AC wall-mounted fast charger that can give a full charge in two hours, and a 6.6kW AC slow charger that will take roughly 12 hours for a full charge.Overall the BYD e6 SUV comes as a complete package for a family that has been looking for a car that looks great, feels great, brings all the necessary bells and whistles, is kinder to the environment, drives quickly and efficiently... But more importantly, fits the entire family with ample room to spare. And carrying a price tag of just NPR 57.5 Lakh, the BYD e6 is a complete no brainer recommendation.