The Selling Price is 1,390,000 Baht, with a 520km of Range, what are the Highlights of BYD e6?

At present, BYD's main model on the market in Thailand, Japan, and Malaysia is still ATTO3, which sells very well and won first place in Thailand's electric car sales in 2023. Although BYD's electric cars entered these markets not early, it can be seen that its products have certain advantages in technology and design.

Taking Thailand as an example, the models currently on sale from BYD include ATTO3, Dolphin, and Seal. But many people will ignore the BYD e6, which appeared quite early in the Chinese market and has become the choice of many operating cars due to its practicality and stable performance of the battery, motor, and electric control system. In Thailand, the BYD e6 also plays the role of a taxi. This can illustrate the reliability of this car from one side. However, looking at the price, the shortcomings of the BYD e6 are also quite obvious. It is more expensive than the ATTO3, but from the design of the exterior and interior and the performance of intelligent configuration, it is not as good as the ATTO3 and other pure electric vehicles in China.

I. Information about the BYD e6's battery

The charging port is located on the side of the rear of the e6, which is the traditional gasoline car's fuel-filling port. The e6 has launched two sub-models in Thailand with the same configuration. One model only supports DC direct current fast charging and can get a full charge in 1.5 hours, while the electric driving range (WLTC) is 520km under a full charge. The other model supports both AC alternating current slow charging and DC direct current fast charging. Under the AC slow charging, it can get a full charge in 12 hours. The fact that e6 launched a model that only supports DC direct current fast charging shows that it has deliberately entered the commercial market, such as taking on the role of a taxi. However, the charging speed is a shortcoming of the e6. After all, the fast charging time of 1.5 hours cannot be included in the fragmented time in the daily travel, and it will still affect the car-use plan.

The e6 is equipped with BYD's lithium iron phosphate blade battery. Compared to the ternary lithium battery, the stability of the lithium iron phosphate battery is more suitable for commercial-operated vehicles. The battery capacity is 71.7kWh. If the cost is calculated at 7 baht per kWh, it costs about 500 baht to fully charge once, and the cost per kilometer is about 1 baht, which is very low. Of course, if you use a home charging pile, the cost will be lower.

II. The exterior design of the BYD e6

The exterior design of the BYD e6 is very subtle, and the simple style gives a van-like impression. From the side view, it looks like a slightly smaller MPV. Those who are familiar with BYD might know that BYD has launched a model named Song MAX in the Chinese market before, and the body contour of the e6 is somewhat similar to it. Song MAX uses BYD's signature Dragon Face front face design, but the closed front face of the e6 is not so eye-catching. It uses a simple lattice decoration and does not add black elements for decoration. This style is consistent with BYD's e-series. But it offers a dual-color body design, the blue body with black roof, will make the whole car look more detailed.

The design of the rear of the car is also simple. The LED taillights on both sides are connected by chrome decoration strips and are paired with high-mounted brake lights and rear window wipers. The details of the body are enriched by the shark fin antenna and the black bumper at the rear.

The size of BYD e6 is 4695 x 1810 x 1670mm, and the wheelbase is 2800mm. Judging from the body size, the e6 is a bit larger than the ATTO3. It mainly pushes the large 5-seat car with a large space, which can meet the home use but also can be used for business purposes. The minimum ground clearance of the e6 is 145mm, and it is equipped with tires in the size of 215/55 R17. It is worth noting that it comes with a spare tire in its original state.

III. The interior design of the BYD e6

The interior design of the e6 is very plain, which is a traditional design. The core is a 10.1-inch rotatable floating central control screen with the BYD DiLink system. Its dashboard uses the traditional mechanical instrument, and a colored TFT display screen is provided in the middle.

The interior only offers black as a color scheme. The steering wheel and seats are both wrapped in leather, so the basic luxury feel is enough and it doesn't everywhere give people a rough sense of hard plastic. The front row provides a 12V power interface. The back row also provides two USB interfaces and an independent air vent, which shows that the e6 considers a lot for rear passengers. The trunk provides a storage space of 580L, which can accommodate multiple suitcases. However, the rear seats cannot be folded down, so the storage space in the trunk is fixed and does not change. This inflexible design is also considered for operational purposes. The set scenario is to use the seats in the back row for passengers.

The e6 does not provide an intelligent driving assistance system. It doesn't have any highlights of intelligent configuration, and the whole configuration performance is quite traditional and basic. In terms of safety configuration, both the front and sides are equipped with safety airbags. In addition, the TPMS tire pressure monitoring system, ESP, Rear View system, and hill-start assist function are all equipped.

IV. The power system of the BYD e6

The BYD e6 adopts a single motor drive, with a maximum power of 70kW (93.8PS) and a peak torque of 180N·m. This power performance won't make the e6 very aggressive because there won't be a strong sense of acceleration, but in commuting on city roads, this power is enough. The maximum speed of the e6 is 130km/h, and the front suspension adopts MacPherson independent suspension, while the rear suspension adopts multi-link independent suspension.

Article review:

Last year, the BYD e6 had a price reduction, which was a discount provided by the government. After the price drop, the sale price was 1,135,900 Thai baht, which is not much different from the price of the ATTO3. But even so, if we evaluate the e6 from the perspective of a family car, it's hard to say it has any particularly obvious advantages.

However, e6's large space and decent reliability are also suitable for home-use scenarios. But at present, like the Thai market, the sales of electric cars are rapidly climbing, and the selection of pure electric vehicles is also increasing. In this market environment, the e6 may still mainly be engaged in commercial operating work.

(Author:  Kevin Wong)