Today, I noticed that the weather was extremely hot, with the temperature reaching 33°C, and the sun was blazing. So, I decided to take a Didi ride back to the office. I ended up getting a ride in a BYD Qin Plus. The car seemed quite new, likely recently purchased. I asked the driver if it was a new car, and what he said next left me, a conventional fuel car driver, stunned!
First question: I asked the driver if this was the 7.98 version of the BYD Qin Plus?
He replied:
“Yes, and I hardly ever charge it. The all-electric range is only 55 km, so it doesn’t last long. Charging it just wastes time, so I treat it as a regular fuel car. When I first bought it, I paid more attention to the battery and charged it whenever it was low. But as I got used to driving it, I became too lazy to charge it.”
Second question: Since you don’t charge it, does it consume a lot of fuel?
The driver’s answer to this also shocked me! He said, “The average fuel consumption is about 3~4 liters per 100 km. When driving in the city, it starts off at around 5 liters, but after driving for a while, it stabilizes at 3~4 liters.” I thought to myself, even with the most economical driving in my fuel car, I can’t get below 4.9 liters, and the average is around 6~7 liters. That’s almost the same as the cost of a Didi ride!
Not long after getting out of the car, I found it hard to believe what the driver said:
Personally, I think: When a hybrid car runs out of battery and relies solely on fuel, it’s also carrying a relatively heavy battery, so the fuel consumption should be higher than that of a conventional fuel car. But the driver claimed the average fuel consumption was 3~4 liters, which seems doubtful. Are there any proud BYD Qin Plus owners who can verify this? Thanks.
Of course, we can’t ignore differences in driving habits:
1. Taxi drivers are usually on the road all day, and when the vehicle is running continuously, the fuel consumption tends to decrease gradually.
2. Taxis are mostly driven in urban areas. Apart from rush hour, when traffic is heavy, other times are generally smoother. So this scenario cannot be ruled out.
Besides these two points, there are many other reasons. However, it’s true that the fuel consumption of hybrid cars is low when the battery is charged, and they can also run purely on electricity. Has anyone else encountered a similar situation? Is it actually more economical to drive a hybrid car as a conventional fuel car?
