Nature’s gentle Dolphin and an EV drive

It is no secret that I have some misgivings about an EV test unit, mainly because it runs on electricity. That is not a bad thing… it is supposed to be better for the environment. But being good for the environment is one thing — causing undue stress on the driver is another.

But is getting ahead of my drive.

Here goes…

Dolphin, yes, that’s what it is called, the BYD Dolphin… named after a sea creature that is known for its warmth and friendly nature.

With its snub-nosed appearance, the BYD Dolphin looks as friendly as its creature namesake. You’d want to pinch its cheeks.

As I step into the dolphin, I familiarize myself with the many buttons (believe me, there are no levers). They all seem very playful and filled with interesting shapes and color combinations. The main buttons are located in the center console, making the Dolphin easy to get used to. No need to search far for the button needed to get the car to what it should be.

Driving the ocean

The ocean theme is readily evident in the BYD. Its (snub) nose, things like the dolphin flipper door handles and the wave-like dashboard insert, but let’s give points to BYD for giving the Dolphin a unique sense of style. Material-wise, it’s quite honest. There are some fancy-feeling inserts here and there. For the most part, the feel is solid, a nice touch to the gentle creature.

Ergonomically, it’s easy to get comfortable in the driver’s seat since it offers plenty of range. The steering wheel, though lacking in telescopic adjustment, fits right. The fully digital gauge cluster has crisp graphics and doesn’t wash out even in direct sunlight. The most important buttons — speed, range, and power front-and-center are easily within reach.

To the center, there’s a 12.8-inch screen. There’s a row of physical buttons, but these are mostly centered on drivetrain — the toggle shifter, drive mode, and brake regen level, to name a few. Luckily, the voice command system is good — probably one of the best out there — so, after a while, you’d be leaning on that instead.

Sitting in comfort

Driving position aside, the Dolphin’s strong suit continues to its interior room. Because it’s riding on a purpose-built EV platform — BYD’s latest 3.0 e-platform — it can manage to accommodate the extra tall (and extra wide) despite its diminutive footprint. There’s no struggle for head- or shoulder space at the front. The same story continues in the backseat, where they’re supportive and the flat floor provides ample knee room all around. If anything, the middle passenger is the only one who’ll complain. Because the seat’s slightly raised, it equates to an uncomfortably low headroom. There’s also no flip-down armrest or AC vents here.

The Dolphin is powered by a single permanent magnet motor that puts out 95 horsepower and 180 Nm of torque. These figures don’t scream high-performance, and, spoiler alert. But, based on this car’s design brief, no one with a right mind will be using it as a dragster. All things considered, it’s still quite lively.

But the engine was able to keep up to speed as I drove it down the C5, making sure to step on the metal enough to make sure I kept to the speed limit of the SLEX. It also has the oomph needed to merge onto expressways easily, though the speedometer progress almost grinds to a halt past 130 km/h. Still, this car is good enough for pretty much anything everyday driving throws at you.

Power on

The motor is energized by a modestly-sized 44.9-kWh (usable) lithium iron phosphate battery pack. It also has active thermal management. A 10 to 80 percent top-up takes about 30 minutes, says BYD, and it can be done using the widely accepted CCS Type 2 standard. But before reaching that point, it can go up to 400 kilometers between charges, says BYD. Surprisingly, its as-tested range is even better at 405 kilometers (average consumption is 8.92 kilometers per kWh).

When it comes to storage, the Dolphin’s quite decent. It maximizes all available space by carving out a shelf just below the rotating infotainment screen and a lidded cubby hole just below that. There are also the generous door bins and a sizeable glovebox. However, there are some questionable design choices here, such as that shelf. Make sure to clear any objects placed there whenever the screen is rotated to portrait view. Forget to do that, and it could potentially damage the screen’s motor or the object in question.

The Dolphin’s suspension tuning clearly favors the supple side of the equation, and with that, it deals with potholes and road cracks very well. Low-speed NVH is excellent, as is the rigidity of the platform, resulting in zero creaks or rattles.

An everyday commuter sticking to moderate speeds won’t expose the Dolphin’s dynamic flaws, but push it enthusiastically, and it will show. As with many soft-riding cars, once the speeds increase, body control becomes an issue. Though the steering remains precise with some nice weight, the chassis becomes resistant to change with a lot of body lean through corners. Press on the accelerator hard, and it will let out some wheel spin before the stability control kicks in. Again, the decision to fit budget tires — Chao Yangs — betrays this car. An unproportional amount of road noise and the telltale hum from the electric motor also make themselves more apparent at higher speeds.

The tight turning circle and stubby proportions make this hatchback a cake to maneuver and park. Add to that a 360-degree camera and rear parking sensors, and you’ve got the ultimate runabout. However, overall visibility is mixed. Forward visibility is great, but the position of the thick, aggressively angled A-pillar means a motorcycle or two will momentarily disappear from you just as you approach an intersection. The same goes for the over-the-shoulder view because of the thick C-pillar.

A distraction?

As I ended my test drive to Tagaytay on the rainy weekend, I can’t lie because I kept watching the electric consumption and how much it was. TBH, I did not like to very much that my mind on the drive home was filled with thoughts of where the nearest electric hub was.

I did make it to one the next day. It took me almost 30 minutes to load P500 of electricity… Good news, bad news… only the driver really knows.