BYD Qin is a zippy electric dream

THE WIND of change is coming from, of all places, China.

Photos by Tessa R. Salazar

This Sunday, I’m literally charging my car.

And yes, I’m taking a selfie with this zippy electric dream: the BYD Qin plug-in hybrid electric gasoline sedan with the dual-mode system, which integrates a gasoline engine with an electric motor and a power battery.

The two-drive mode system featuring the EV (all electric) and HEV (dual-drive hybrid electric) seemed too much to take in at first, amid all the dashboard and instrument panel indicators showing this and that data, and icons everywhere (underlining the intended market of this car, the visually stimulated millennials).

I almost jumped out of the window when I pushed the power-on button, and the seat and steering wheel whirred and started moving on its own, readjusting to the settings of the last driver, accompanied by an eerie four-tone ringtone.

There is no gasoline engine murmur, only the unusual silence, and the lights on the dashboard indicating that the vehicle is ready to be driven.

Unlike the Toyota Prius, the China-made BYD Qin is much more kaleidoscopic in its dashboard displays. It’s a lot more fun to explore when you’re stuck in traffic, that’s for sure.

Having already logged lots and lots of flying time with the Prius, I understood what this electric animal was trying to communicate in no time at all.

The Qin, in a nutshell, has a total power of 300 horsepower, a maximum speed of 185 kilometers per hour, and a 0-100 kph acceleration in 5.9 seconds.

It gets its moving power from three modes: gas only with its 1.5-liter TI gasoline engine (about 150 hp); electric motor only that has a power battery (more or less 150 hp); and combined gas and electric (300 hp). At the combined mode, it’s almost double the power of a Toyota Camry, but with the body size of an Altis.

THINGS unusual in the trunk

BYD Philippines (the authorized Philippine distributor being Solar Transport and Automotive Resources Corp.) previously computed that a full charge of the Qin’s battery will cost about P100 a day. And you can drive about 50 to 70 km on pure electric mode. When fully charged, Qin is claimed to range up to 70 km.

In the EV driving mode, only the electric engine and the power battery are at work (and you will be amazed when you look at the digital dashboard indicators: you’re cruising at highway speeds, yet the revolutions per minute of the gasoline engine show “0”).

When the battery power becomes too low (say 10 percent), the system automatically switches to the HEV mode, and you will feel the shudder of the internal combustion engine coming to life.

QIN’S PORTABLE charger with power, fault and charging indicators

Under HEV, the gasoline engine provides power to the wheels (simultaneous with the electric engine), while at the same time charges the battery.

When the drive system runs on pure electric, the first thing that hits you is the sheer silence of the vehicle inside and outside. The only sound you’ll hear is the soft whir of the electric engine.

It takes between six and eight hours to charge the electric battery, and when I drove the Qin in and around Metro Manila during heavy weekend traffic under the EV mode, I was able to squeeze out 40 km before the gasoline engine (hence the HEV mode) kicked in.

THE QIN is charging, so says the instrument panel.

The downside to the Qin is that it’s a bit more difficult (or slower) for the gasoline engine (and the regenerative braking system) to charge the electric battery while the vehicle is on the move, compared to the Prius (which has no hybrid plug-in variant yet available in the Philippines, and thus relies purely on the gasoline engine and the regenerative brakes to charge its electric battery).

PLUG it in, please?

The Prius does that job more quickly, although the EV mode of the locally available Prius is good up to 40 kph only.

The Qin’s seats and steering wheel, as well as the gear shifter, look like they’re wrapped in faux leather (meaning, no animal skin used, so not one creature was killed during the making of this car). And that’s just great for a car that touts itself as environment-friendly.

These things said, I eagerly count down the hours until I enjoy the full benefits of EV driving (again) with the Qin.

QIN’S backing cam scene

The sunroof provides a bonus view, and in a manner of speaking, the BYD Qin provides an exciting alternative worldview on the Pinoy driving culture.

It’s the kind of worldview that takes into account so much more than just the pure pleasure of being behind the wheel. It’s more like driving the planet to a better future in a car built by a society that has historically been known for its myriad inventions and innovations.

Yup, it’s time the Chinese built something to clear the air and let the sun shine in again in our part of the world.

QIN (PRONOUNCED as chin), a green game-changer, treads the path less taken.