Driving the BYD Dolphin around in 7 days
Driving the BYD Dolphin around in 7 days
Over a week ago we were given the opportunity to drive the BYD Dolphin for over a week and give it a full real world review of the new energy vehicle.
What is the BYD Dolphin?
The BYD Dolphin is an all electric vehicle that was launched earlier this year by BYD Cars Philippines. The BYD Dolphin is a Hatchback which comfortably seat 5 adults and the price starts at Php 1,398,000. In our case we were a family of 4 which was just exactly just the right fit. The BYD Dolphin has been awarded a five-star safety rating by ANCAP under its new and stricter testing criteria. Included in its suite are a 360° camera and a 3-sensor Reverse Radar. This is on top of a 6-Airbag System to give you both confidence and peace of mind. We will dive in the technology of the vehicle later on in the feature.
We were also invited last March 2024 to do the test drive of the newly launched Dolphin. It was an amazing experience although a little bit under a controlled drive and environment.
Driving The Dolphin in and around around the Metro
We started off driving the Dolphin around Metro Manila specifically from Pasig to Paranaque. Mind you we had the car in December, the Christmas rush was in full swing. Driving along our usual route, we had to be extra careful since there were a lot of pedestrians. The Dolphin is extremely quite and people are still not used to having full electric cars where I live. Getting back to the drive, we were driving along C5 and C5 extension towards Paranaque and Las Pinas area.
The family was still getting used to riding an electric vehicle and they were surprised that the car was extremely quite. They did not event notice that we were moving quite fast. The BYD Dolphin has enough power to get you in and out of trouble. The drive is now more realistic than the one we previously did since there is now one controlling the pace.
The Drive to Subic
Since we drove the car around town the previous day, we started our drive to Subic with a stop at the UPTown Mall for a quick top up with their fast 120 kWh charger.
So we plugged in the vehicle and went to an early breakfast since it was a Sunday. Using the Evro App it was easy to monitor the charging of you vehicle. The time we spent charging the Dolphin from 60% to 100% was about 30 mins. Currently charging is still free from charging stations in Ayala Mall in and around the metro. The BYD Blade Battery technology gives you longer mileage as well as better margins of safety. The Blade Battery Technology is the leading technology for full electric vehicles currently in the market.
On our way to Subic me an my brother took turns driving to Subic via NLEX and SCTEX. From UPTown up to Subic it took our charge from 100% to around 62%. The drive going outside Metro Manila is a lot more economical that driving in the open highway. The BYD Regenerative Braking where part of the charge is recovered during braking, which extends the range of the car.
We did the usual driving routine keeping it under the speed limit. The BYD Dolphin comes packed full with BYD advanced driver assist systems (ADAS). Which included in its suite are a 360° camera and a 3-sensor Reverse Radar. We did all the usual stops, the shell stop at NLEX for refreshments and bathroom breaks.
Continuing the drive going to Subic and arriving to to the restaurant we pre selected to have our lunch. we still had around more than 52% battery charge left. We had lunch and drove around old Subic Bay Naval Base. Something we did not do the last time we were here.
The drive around Subic was very enjoyable with the BYD Dolphin was nimble and agile enough to handle small streets and highways. Again we just had to be a little careful in busier areas since the car does not have any engine noises.
The Drive Home
The battery indicator saying a 40% when we were deciding to go home. My brother and his wife was having range anxiety so we stopped by Harbor Mall in Subic to plug in the car to have atleast 60% charge before driving home.
Personally I was saying that we had enough juice to reach home our UPTown to charge and top up. But since they were using a full electric car for the first time they were having range anxieties. A quick trip to the mall was not a bad idea, or was it. I ended up buying an extra pair of shoes. and after a couple of hours later, we hade 65% charge and set our drive home.
We reached Estancia mall with 27% battery charge. We decided to have dinner and again we plugged in to a charger in he mall. This time it was only a 22 kWh charger which is a normal charger. We had dinner and after we had 65% which is good enough for the next day.
Final Review
This is our first Vehicle review in a long time but not our first drive. The BYD Dolphin is just the right size for basic Filipino family a family of either 4 or a family of 5. The interior design was also on point. The features and charging ports is set for the digital times. The Dolphin is also packed with the latest features and cutting edge technology. The only thing that needs to be improved was the size of the cup holders. But this is just nitpicking.
With that being said, we give the BYD Dolphin a Gold rating. The only draw back with the New Energy Vehicle is the the availability of charging stations. The infrastructure is slowly catching up and EV and hybrid vehicles are the wave of the future.
