The 2017 International Greentech and Eco Products
Exhibition and Conference Malaysia (IGEM) is being held right now at the Kuala
Lumpur Convention Centre, and Chinese EV manufacturer BYD is showcasing its e6
hatchback at the show. The company is currently targeting fleet buyers with
this car, although it has no plans as yet to offer it commercially.
It’s a fairly large car, measuring 4,554 mm long,
1,822 mm wide and 1,630 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2,830 mm. It’s also really
quite heavy, tipping the scales at 2,420 kg. Power comes from a synchronous AC
electric motor that develops 90 kW (121 hp) and 450 Nm of torque, and it is
juiced by BYD’s proprietary iron-phosphate battery with a capacity of 80 kWh.
The e6 has a top speed of 140 km/h and a
range of 400 km, and BYD says that it can be charged to full capacity in under
two hours with a 30 kW AC charger. The company has also released a chart
showing the savings one can expect from using the e6, based on its experience
running a fleet of taxis in Singapore.
Based on the claimed energy consumption of 26 kWh
per 100 km and the current local energy price of 63 sen per kWh, BYD claims the
e6 will save as much as RM 39,216 in four and a half years compared to the
average petrol-powered taxi. The data is based on the usage of the e6 taxi on
the island nation from December 2014 to January 2017.
Exhibitors at the show say that a commercial launch
in not viable at this point as the price would be north of RM 200,000. The
company is also facing an uphill battle in terms of attracting fleet buyers as
there aren’t enough incentives provided by the government.
Cr : Paultan
