A 150-km journey reveals BYD M6 DM’s fuel consumption

JAKARTA — BYD Indonesia is attempting to prove the fuel efficiency of its first plug‑in‑hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), the BYD M6 DM, through a daily‑use test covering around 150 kilometres. The route encompassed Jakarta–Bogor–BSD–Jakarta, with a mix of urban congestion and uphill and downhill segments in the Bogor area. Before departure, both the battery and fuel tank were confirmed full. BYD then sealed the refuelling area as evidence that no additional fuel was added during the test drive. The air conditioning remained optimally on, entertainment features active, and vehicle speed varied with traffic, ranging from 60 to 100 kilometres per hour. The car was also loaded with three occupants weighing about 240 kilograms in total, so the test is considered to better reflect daily usage. Based on the Multi Information Display (MID), the total energy consumption recorded was 3.9 litres per 100 kilometres after the vehicle had travelled nearly 150 kilometres. Converted, this equates to around 25.6 kilometres per litre, which is efficient for a seven‑seat MPV with a relatively large body. However the test occurred in dense urban traffic with undulating roads and driving styles not constant with everyday usage. Interestingly, during the journey the petrol engine did not operate fully as the primary mover. From full battery, the usable capacity dropped to 20 per cent only after about 110 kilometres. This means most of the trip relied on the electric motor as the main power source, with the petrol engine starting later to act as a generator to recharge the battery. The MID also showed a combination of electric energy consumption of 2.8 kWh per 100 kilometres and petrol consumption of 3.1 litres per 100 kilometres in the last 50 kilometres of the journey. After the test, the seal on the petrol tank was removed to perform a full-to-full fuel test.