Refueling pure electric SUV test drive BYD Tang DM-i

[爱卡汽车新能源频道原创] Since its official release at the beginning of this year, BYD’s DM-i hybrid technology has quickly gained the attention of a large number of consumers. The sales of Qin PLUS DM-i and Song PLUS DM-i, which were listed in the early stage, are very hot, and even the supply is in short supply. The finale Tang DM-i will be officially launched at the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show on April 19, and we have already tested this flagship model with ultra-low fuel consumption. Compared with the previous 2021 Tang DM, the new Tang DM-i has basically no changes in appearance and interior trim. Since most of my friends are already very familiar with the design of Tang DM-i, this time we get straight to the subject, let’s talk about the performance of DM-i hybrid technology on this big guy. BYD Tang DM (inquiry module, please do not edit manually, if you need to delete, please right-click on the picture to delete the inquiry) I believe everyone is already familiar with BYD Tang. The average transaction price of Tang series models is more than 200,000 yuan, and the cumulative sales have exceeded 200,000 units. This is an achievement that other Chinese brand models cannot match. The Tang DM-i, the latest occupant of the Tang family, has almost the same exterior and interior design as the 2021 Tang DM. The biggest difference between them lies in the DM-i hybrid system carried by the former. BYD has launched a number of plug-in hybrid models. Before the advent of DM-i technology, BYD’s hybrid models were known for their acceleration, and the zero-hundred results in less than 5 seconds were enough to make most performance cars ashamed, but their fuel-saving effects could only be said to be mediocre. The DM-i is a hybrid technology that is known for its fuel-saving rate. Its engine is not strong, and its power output mainly comes from the electric motor. What kind of performance will the DM-i technology have on the big guy like BYD Tang? DM-i technology is a plug-in hybrid technology. The entire system consists of a high-efficiency engine, an EHS electric hybrid system integrating two motors and reducers, and a set of hybrid blade batteries. An efficient engine is the basis for low fuel consumption in hybrid vehicles. Tang DM-i’s engine is a turbocharged 1.5Ti high-efficiency engine for Xiaoyun-plug-in hybrids, with a maximum power of 102kW (139 horsepower) and a maximum torque of 231Nm. Its compression ratio has reached 12.5, VTG variable area turbocharger is applied, and the design of canceling gear train is adopted, and its peak thermal efficiency has reached 40%. In the field of turbocharged engines, such high thermal efficiency is relatively rare. There are at least ten configurations of hybrid systems, each with different characteristics, and how to “mix” is very important. The EHS electric hybrid system in DM-i technology is equivalent to an E-CVT composed of two motors, which completely replaces the traditional mechanical gearbox, and is similar to the Japanese hybrid, especially the Honda i-MMD system. It can realize series connection, parallel connection and direct engine drive. DM-i is mainly electric, and it is pure electric or series mode in most working conditions According to the different driving motors, the EHS electric hybrid system can be divided into three types, namely EHS132, EHS145 and EHS160. Tang DM-i uses the powerful EHS145 and EHS160, and the comprehensive maximum power of the system is 173kW (235 horsepower) and 254kW (345 horsepower) respectively. It is worth mentioning that the motor speed in the EHS electric hybrid system can reach 16000 rpm, using flat wire windings and oil-cooled heat dissipation, and has the advantages of small size and high efficiency. In terms of battery, Tang DM-i uses the blade battery that BYD is proud of. Its shape is a long and narrow thin sheet, hence the name “Blade”. The biggest feature of the blade battery is safety, even if it is pierced by a steel needle, it will not catch fire. It is essentially a lithium iron phosphate battery that directly composes a battery pack through a large blade-shaped battery cell to achieve an increase in energy density. The battery pack capacity of Tang DM-i is 9.98kWh/21.5kWh, and the pure electric cruising range is 52km/112km. Our test drive this time is the flagship model Tang DM-i 112km honorable, and its pre-sale price is 224,800 yuan. After the vehicle was started, we quickly discovered the difference between the Tang DM-i and BYD’s previous plug-in hybrid models: Although the power of the former is not as strong, it is smoother and quieter, and it drives almost like a pure electric model. As far as driving performance is concerned, we can completely regard Tang DM-i as a pure electric SUV that can refuel. The reason why the hybrid power system has a higher threshold is mainly because there are multiple power sources in the system, and the different combinations between them produce complex power output modes. It is the manufacturers facing the same driving experience under different modes. Great challenge. The biggest improvement of Tang DM-i is that it maintains a similar driving experience in different hybrid modes, different driving modes, and with or without electricity. This is different from its electric hybrid concept. Not open. In most working conditions, Tang DM-i’s hybrid system is in pure electric or series mode. The power comes from the electric motor. The engine is either stopped or used to generate electricity, and does not participate in driving the vehicle. Under the power-deficient high-speed working condition, the parallel mode will account for a larger proportion. At this time, the engine and the drive motor drive the wheels together. In pure electric mode, Tang DM-i can reach a maximum speed of 140km/h. When the battery is low or the accelerator pedal is quickly depressed, the engine starts to give power to the wheels, but the process of intervention is difficult to detect. We manually switched the EV/HEV mode and tried several times, only the roar of the engine speed after the throttle is pulled up will remind us of its existence. The energy recovery intensity of Tang DM-i can be adjusted on the central control screen. Under the standard intensity, the energy recovery intensity is relatively slight, and will not bring obvious deceleration. The recovered power displayed on the instrument panel is about 11kW; at higher intensity, the energy recovery intensity is increased, but it will not affect it. In terms of comfort, the recovered power displayed on the dashboard is about 25kW. When energy recovery is combined with braking, the recovered power can reach 75kW. Thanks to the electric-based hybrid system, the NVH of the Tang DM-i performs well, and the interior is very quiet. However, after the speed exceeds 70km/h, the wind noise in the A-pillar area is more obvious and needs to be optimized. In terms of chassis, the Tang DM-i adopts a front Macpherson rear multi-link suspension, and the battery pack between the front and rear axles reduces the center of gravity of the vehicle. The suspension adjustment is moderately soft and hard, and it can also give the driver a strong confidence in the winding mountain road. At the same time, it can also play a good filtering effect in the face of the bumps of the road. How to choose between Tang DM-i and Tang DM? The advantage of the former is fuel consumption. It is suitable for most home users. It not only has low car cost, but also has long battery life, which will show advantages in long-distance self-driving tours. The latter has outstanding acceleration performance and is equipped with a four-wheel drive system. Users who have higher requirements for power. Dynamic performance: outstanding ride comfort As mentioned earlier, the exterior and interior design of the Tang DM-i is no different from the 2021 Tang DM, and this design has been verified by the market. BYD’s iconic Dragon Face design language is already very familiar to everyone, and it is particularly magnificent when applied to the Tang DM-i model with full sense of volume. The body size of Tang DM-i is also the same as Tang DM, the length, width and height are 4870mm/1950mm/1725mm respectively, and the wheelbase is 2820mm. The tail shape is round and full, and the penetrating taillights widen the visual width. The new car has applied blackened design elements in many places, such as B-pillar, C-pillar, D-pillar, as well as the C-shaped decorative strips on the wheel eyebrows and front and rear bumpers, which make the whole car look a little more wild and dynamic. The 2021 Tang series models including Tang DM-i have been significantly optimized in terms of interior decoration. The interior of the old model is minimalist and looks very plain, while the 2021 model uses more high-end materials, with richer layers, and enhances the sense of luxury. The instrument panel alone has soft slush plastic materials, piano paint panels, metal brushed texture panels and Ultrasuede microfiber suede fabrics similar to Alcantara. In addition, this Ultrasuede microfiber suede fabric is also used in a large area on the door panel, which greatly improves the sense of quality. Intelligentization is an important development direction of the current automotive industry. BYD has also continuously updated its DiLink intelligent network connection system and launched version 3.0. The most significant upgrade is in terms of hardware. The size of the central control screen has been increased from 14.3 inches to 15.6 inches, and the screen frame has been greatly narrowed, which is full of technological sense. In terms of software, mainstream functions are equipped, although the interaction logic is a bit messy, but the experience of using it is not bad. The biggest feature of this large screen is that it can be rotated. At present, many apps in the car-machine system are from mobile phones, and developers rarely make special adaptations for cars and machines, so most of the apps are vertical screen applications, and the experience on horizontal screens is general. BYD’s rotating large screen is more friendly to vertical screen applications. For example, Douyin has a better experience on BYD DiLink. In order to take care of the co-pilot passengers, this large screen also has a split-screen display function. The driver can watch the navigation and the co-pilot can watch the entertainment function. Everyone can choose what they need. As a medium and large SUV, space is a big selling point of Tang DM-i. The car uses a 7-seater layout, the second row of seats can slide back and forth in a larger range, and the angle of the seat back can also be adjusted in two gears. When the second-row seats are adjusted to the frontmost position, the third-row seats also have ample legroom. However, since the cushion is very low, the sitting posture is not ideal, and it is only suitable for children. Most of the time, the third-row seats are folded up, giving the luggage compartment a flat floor and plenty of space. In addition, the second row of seats can also be down at a ratio of 4/6 to further increase the loading capacity of the car. Edit comment: With the release of version 2.0 of the “Energy-saving and New Energy Vehicle Roadmap”, hybrid vehicles have become the focus of research and development for many manufacturers, and a large number of plug-in hybrid models will be launched this year. But in terms of popularity, BYD’s DM-i technology is still at the forefront. The reason is that everyone is reducing fuel consumption, but only BYD has achieved the level of fuel consumption of DM-i technology that can compete with Japanese hybrid systems. Tang DM-i not only solves the fuel consumption problem, its smooth driving experience and heel-to-foot dynamic response are also impressive. I believe it will also be a hot-selling model. Appearance and interior: basically unchanged