BYD launches new hybrid vehicle tech with lower fuel consumption

CHINA’S BYD on Tuesday (May 28) launched its latest generation of a plug-in hybrid technology that achieves a record low fuel consumption of 2.9 litres per 100 km on depleted batteries.

BYD chairman Wang Chuanfu unveiled the technology while speaking at an event in Xian, the capital of Shaanxi province, the site of the company’s first automaking factory after it acquired Qinchuan Automobile Co in 2003.

With a fully charged battery and a full gasoline tank, the technology can ensure a driving range of more than 2,000 kilometres.

BYD’s last generation of plug-in hybrid technology – which touts a driving range of dozens of kilometres on batteries and a fuel consumption of 3.8 litres per 100 km purely on the gasoline engine – has buoyed its rapid growth since 2021 with models such as the Qin Plus DM-i sedan and Song Plus DM-i SUV.

Plug-in hybrids priced from US$11,011 have made up the bulk of BYD’s sales in the past three years, with an accumulated 3.6 million such cars sold by the company. REUTERS