Our recent trip to China with BYD Philippines let us experience the brand way beyond dumplings or Peking duck – it opened our eyes to the extent of technologies that the automaker has already reached at this point. This is our second time with BYD, but despite that, the company managed to surprise us again with a lot of new innovations. This was a chance to learn about and experience the new technologies they’ve included in their latest-generation vehicles.
First, we visited the BYD headquarters in Shenzhen for a meet-and-greet with Mr. Liu Xiuelang, General Manager of the BYD Asia Pacific Auto Division. After that, we sat with Mr. Javy Wang, Senior Manager Product Strategy, BYD Asia Pacific Auto Sales Division, for a detailed look at the new technologies in their current vehicles.
DM 5.0 – DM-I, DM-O, and DM-P
Does this look familiar? DM is part of BYD’s nomenclature for their Plug-In Hybrid family of vehicles. The prefix DM stands for Dual Mode; it refers to a hybrid system that typically pairs an internal combustion engine (ICE) with an electric motor. It can run in full electric, hybrid, and assist modes. The suffixes -i, -O, and -P indicate different applications.
DM 5.0
DM is now in its 5th generation, launched in 2024, and under hybrid conditions claims to achieve 100 kilometers of driving per 2 liters of fuel.
DM-i
DM-i is the most familiar to Filipinos, making its Philippine debut with the very popular Sealion 6 DM-i. Used to denote efficiency and economy, the general application is an ICE unit acting predominantly as a generator in concert with an electric drive system.
The electric motor is the primary drive, and the gasoline engine engages when the battery’s state of charge drops. But during extended operation, such as on an expressway or a long uphill stretch, the engine can run to supplement the electric system’s power needs. The power plant is mated to a Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT) or e-CVT. BYD didn’t intend DM-i for high speed or quick acceleration, but rather for fuel economy and lower emissions, ideally for city driving. It’s configured for front-wheel-drive cars and is ideal for lower-cost applications.
DM-O
This architecture made its Philippine debut in the Shark 6 DM-O pickup, DM-O (Dual Mode Off-road), an off-road hybrid system optimized for rugged terrain, handling uneven surfaces, traction, and load, while remaining efficient. BYD claims substantial fuel cost savings compared to pure ICE off-road vehicles.
You can have up to four motors, enabling precise torque delivery to each wheel. The Shark 6 DM-O, for example, has dual motors and a 1.5L gas engine. BYD’s Cell-to-Chassis integrates the battery pack with the chassis, enhancing rigidity and can also include DiSus, enabling intelligent body control to help manage chassis and vehicle motion on challenging terrain. DM-O is touted to deliver high torque and sufficient power for off-road and heavy-duty use.
DM-P
This is the new architecture we got to experience hands-on in China during a ride-along in the Yangwang U9. DM-P is BYD’s performance architecture, prioritizing higher power output and quicker response over fuel economy. It also offers multiple electric motor configurations, from front- and rear-mounted to four-motor all-wheel drive. And the combined ICE and electric motor output is much higher than that of the DM-I and DM-O. This hybrid setup is tuned more aggressively, and as a result, the ICE and electric combo work in parallel at high speeds and under load. Of course, the trade-off for performance is fuel economy and the added complexity of the drivetrain due to the motors and their control systems.
E3 and E4 intelligent control
The E3 platform is a world first for electric vehicles. This three-motor drivetrain places one motor in the front and two in the rear, providing differential torque that actively adjusts both torque and rear-wheel steering to maintain stability on low-grip surfaces. It also offers enhanced steering, enabling “crabwalk” for limited diagonal movement and “compass turn” to maneuver in tight spaces. The E3 platform also utilizes “Cell-to-Chassis” for vehicular rigidity and stability.
With stability and safety enhanced, high-speed tire blowouts are less likely to be fatal when you combine the E3’s rigid structure, which works with instantaneous adjustments of wheel torque to correct and maintain vehicle stability. This also helps shorten stopping distance by providing rapid stabilizing control during braking. This works with the ADAS system, which uses lane/line recognition to prevent secondary accidents.
An E3 platform vehicle can also be equipped with adaptive suspension to enhance stability and ride comfort. We had a chance to experience the E3 platform’s abilities when we drove the Denza Z9 GT.
The E4 platform takes everything the E3 has and adds a quad-motor drive system with four independent subsystems: drive, power, braking, and steering. This offers more advanced compass turning and intelligent crab walking. E4 is implemented in the Yangwang U7, U8, and U9.
DiSus-P
This is BYD’s intelligent hydraulic body control system, which can adjust the vehicle’s height and suspension stiffness for improved on-road handling and off-road performance. Applied to an E4 platform vehicle, the Yangwang U8 SUV allows it superior suspension travel and enables it to turn like a tank.
DiSus-X
This is the most advanced iteration of BYD’s DiSus and is found on the Yangwang U9 electric hypercar. It enables advanced body control over the vehicle’s body roll, pitch, and height, improving both handling and comfort. This body control system works with the vehicle’s binocular LiDAR to identify uneven road surfaces to adjust the suspension for a smoother ride.
The system is now well known for its ability to enable maneuvers like dancing or hopping. There are videos online that show the Yangwang U9 dancing as an example of what the suspension system is capable of. It can even cause the vehicle to jump a few inches off the ground.
The same ability allows it to drive on three wheels by adjusting the height at three points, showcasing its stability in emergencies. Safety is enhanced, as the DiSus-X can prevent rollovers and reduce the physical effects on occupants during high-speed cornering and braking.
e-Platform 3.0 Evo
This is BYD’s advanced integrated EV platform with the following features: a 12-in-one intelligent drive that combines a high-speed motor, reducer, control unit, battery manager, and essential components into a single unit, increasing efficiency and improving cruising range and top speed.
Again, Cell-to-Body enhances rigidity, increasing passenger safety by 60% in a frontal collision due to an additional 100mm buffer zone in the front compartment, 50% improvement in passenger cabin deformation resistance.
This platform also offers new ADAS add-ons, including LiDAR, multiple cameras, and radar systems, giving it Level 2+ autonomous driving capabilities. It’s also connected to improved vehicle-road-cloud connectivity, which connects vehicles to road infrastructure and cloud computing platforms, in turn making intelligent vehicles safer by enabling real-time data sharing – such as traffic updates, road hazard alerts, over–the–air updates, and map downloads – that improve the driver experience and autonomous driving capabilities. This platform is the basis for the BYD Sealion 7.
DiPilot 100, 200, and 300
This is BYD’s advanced driver assistance system, also known as BYD’s “God’s Eye.” It offers semi-autonomous driving capabilities in three levels.
DiPIlot 100 is the entry-level or mass-market ADAS that uses a camera, radar, and ultrasonic sensors. It supports Highway Autonomous Navigation (HNOA) functions, including lane keeping, lane change, on-ramps, and obstacle avoidance. Its automatic braking works up to 100 kilometers per hour, but due to its lack of LiDAR, its confident handling of urban and complex intersections is limited compared to the DiPilot 300 and 600.
DiPilot 300 is the mid-level version; its sensor suite is upgraded with a single LiDAR module added to the camera and radar system. It has advanced highway support with urban features/cities (Navigation On Autopilot – NOA), which enables more complex maneuvers than DiPilot 100.
DiPilot 600 is the top-level ADAS, featuring three LiDAR modules and a full sensor suite of cameras and radar for the highest perception fidelity. This tier is reserved for BYD’s top premium models. This system has the best sensors and computing, enabling more accurate, autonomous driving, especially in urban settings and under varied conditions.
As of this writing, BYD engineers are constantly working on the next generation of technologies. We learned that BYD files an average of 45 patents a day, with roughly 20 patents granted, and when we visited the BYD headquarters, it already had more than 39,000 patents to its name. Judging by what is already available, there are sure to be quite a few exciting developments in the near future.
This trip was a good follow-up to our first trip, which happened two years ago. We were also introduced to the new BYD brands: Yangwang, Denza, and FangChengBao. Looks like exciting times ahead for the Chinese marque.
