BYDBelieve it or not but its j ctust now that we got to experience an electric vehicle, thanks to BYD Cars Philippines we got to test the new BYD Sealion 6 DM-I which is both a gas engine powered vehicle to charge the battery, and plug-in interface to charge the battery. The company invited us to their 1000km drive challenge with just one full charge and one full tank from Ayala Malls Manila Bay to Ilocos Region (Up to Paoay Ilocos) and back to Manila.
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Now a 1000km road trip is no joke particularly here going to Ilocos, it takes proper preparation and readiness both mind and body for this long duration trip. With a group of 3 within a vehicle, it was fortunately easier as we got to get interval resting time. Of course testing out the BYD Sealion 6 DM-I, we got some tips to share and advantages to share with you.
Overtaking will be common especially in open roads in the province, given the high torque acceleration of the BYD Sealion 6 DM-I its really fun to simply zoom away and reach speeds of 100km/h in just seconds with a single press of the accelerator.
Given this power, be mindful to everyone on board to brace as sudden acceleration will surely press back everyone against their seats especially to kids who aren’t in a good sitting position. So be mindful as the head of the helm to always advice and be aware if they might be eating or drinking, best to orient them beforehand of what they can experience when riding an EV. Good thing the seats of the Sealion 6 DM-I are comfortable and wrapping of leather, which helps dampen the feedback force significantly.
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You can take opportunity to use purely the EV battery’s charge in the BYD Sealion 6 DMI-I, this can effectively give you the maximum power especially torque to go uphill in steep climbs. Now while horsepower is also important, in steep climbs the ratio of an EV having favorable torque is a clear advantage especially in short climbs and strides.
BYD Sealion 6 DM I Regenerative Breaking
Activate high regenerative breaking when downhill to maximize your battery charging, while accelerating fast and braking hard to slowdown is the said method to save battery…it kinda sacrifices passenger comfort overall. Instead you can activate the high regenerative breaking
We would like to also thank BYD Cars Philippines for this challenge well executed as a trip to Ilocos to prove the 1000km milage challenge, proving that the BYD Sealion 6 DM-I can address the issues of owning an EV while enjoying an outstanding. The 3 day trip was very immersive and also revealing in taking advantage of the vehicle’s features.
Using the cruise control might be for seen as boring especially on a high tech car such as an EV, given you have a lot of technology such as lane departure, gap mantaining and even adaptive crusise control. But in the setup of the Sealion 6 DM-I the advantage of having a petrol engine, to charge the vehicle is that you can program the battery to be charged while in cruise control. So in a scenario while in NLEX or SCTEX traveling for more than 30km straight, the Sealion 6 DM-I can actually charge the battery while the engine is working not only to power the car but deliver the excess power to the battery.
Enjoy less gas stops to top up or none even in with the strong combination of the BYD Blade Battery powering the vehicle, either this can be charge via plug-in or the engine via gas. Meaning you can plan your trips better, unless you have a passenger that might be more of needing to deplete their tank then still you don’t have to worry in topping up and thinking of the cost.
With the right combination of taking advantage of your terrain and travel type you can definitely reach 1000km without topping up, which in our turn the BYD Sealion 6 DM-I with 1 full tank and 1 full charge of the battery is only around 3,600 pesos
| Energy Source | Capacity | Estimated Cost per Unit | Total Cost |
| Gas Tank | 60 | 56 pesos per liter | Php3,360 |
| Battery | 18.3kWh | 14 pesos per kWh (Including buffer) | Php256.2 |
| Total Cost | Php3,612.2 | ||
1 month just after this drive we’ve seen units of the BYD Sealion 6 DM-I in the road which is a proof that BYD Cars Philippines is aggresive and ready to be in the market. The vehicle is priced at Php1,580,000, given the pricing its really tempting to its value proposition. Honestly even us is considering to purchase this car due to its plug-in capability so we can just charge when traversing in short distances such as work or within the metro since one full battery can reach 100km.
So are you getting one? Let us know what you think
