Electric revolution

BYD is a company which has been known for its buses worldwide and in India. Now the company has launched the e6 electric MPV as a B2B offering. But is an electric vehicle good enough to challenge the old school ICE powered vehicles? We find out

- Rahul Ghosh

The electric vehicle segment in India is witnessing rapid development. Electric two and three-wheelers have already witnessed an increasing demand. A steady stream of electric cars has also found way into India which all caters to the B2C segment. Shenzhen-based BYD Company Limited though has different plans. Instead of attacking the highly competitive B2C segment, it is attacking the B2B segment. This means that you cannot buy the BYD e6 as a privately registered vehicle. It is for tour operators and those in the taxi trade who are being offered this vehicle.

The BYD e6 as mentioned before will be solely offered as a commercial vehicle. This means that it will cater to the premium cab segment which is dominated by the likes of the Toyota Innova Crysta. So it is very important that the vehicle looks premium and the e6 does. The front end comes with a sweeping bonnet and projector-type headlights complete with LED DRLs. The front grille is a design element which is not needed in EVs. But it has been retained in the e6 to comply with the ‘Dragon face’ design element of BYD cars. In profile one can see that the e6 offers a smooth flowing design and also the fact that the vehicle is pretty large. The e6 is 4,695mm long and 1,810mm wide. It also sports a rather respectable wheelbase of 2,800mm. While the e6 is slightly shorter than the Innova Crysta, it sports a longer wheelbase. At the back too things are kept simple. The e6 also offers a generous ground clearance of 170mm and this should make it apt to tackle most Indian conditions. The only cause of concern then is the rather large overhangs which this MPV sports.