BYD Dolphin Surf Winter Range Test: 55 Miles in 18°F Cold at 15.4 kWh/100 km
I took the BYD Dolphin Surf out on a freezing morning at -8°C (18°F) for an 88.8 km (55-mile) loop through town and on country roads, with the heat on. The battery didn't "die" in the cold, and the final efficiency was a pleasant surprise.
Everyone says electric cars "die" in winter. I wanted to see how much truth there is in that, so I took the BYD Dolphin Surf out on a freezing morning at -8°C (18°F) for a loop of almost 90 km (55 miles): through town, along a two-lane national road to the town of Târgu Frumos and back, with the heat on the whole time. The final result, 15.4 kWh/100 km (about 4 miles per kWh), surprised even me.
The start: 61% battery and frozen windows
I set off with 61% battery and 175 km (109 miles) of estimated range on the display. I reset the trip computer to see the real consumption on this drive, switched on the seat heater and set the navigation. There was ice everywhere outside, including on the mirrors and cameras. Because of that, a few driver-assistance systems weren't available at the start. After 10–15 minutes of driving the cameras thawed and the features came back one by one, the last being automatic high-beam control.
Sitting at a red light, the car showed about 2 kW of draw for heating. That's the energy that keeps the cabin warm and most likely helps warm the battery too. I also kept the A/C on so the windows wouldn't fog up.
On the road: 15 to 17 kWh/100 km
After the first 7 km in town, consumption was 15 kWh/100 km. At 20 km, out on the national road, I had 15.5 kWh/100 km, 51% battery and 148 km of range. Even at 100 km/h (62 mph), the Dolphin Surf is very quiet. You hear a little wind around the mirrors, but they were covered in ice.
I reached Târgu Frumos after 45 km with 17.1 kWh/100 km and an average speed of 61 km/h. I think that leg had a bit more climbing, and cruise control wasn't available on my test car, so I drove on the pedal the whole way. Officially every Dolphin Surf has intelligent cruise control, and with it switched on I think consumption would have been a bit lower.
Passing is easy, even in Eco mode. With the pedal floored at 88 km/h, the car pulled 71–72 kW from the battery in both Eco and Sport. The only difference between the modes is how quickly the throttle responds: in Sport a millimeter of pedal sends you forward, in Eco the start is smoother. There are also Normal and Snow modes.
The way back: navigation nailed the arrival percentage
For the return trip I set a fast-charging station as the destination. I had 38% and 110 km of range, and the car estimated I'd arrive with 21%. The arrival percentage isn't shown all the time, but I found that you can see it by tapping the route progress bar. I'd love to see it displayed permanently, because knowing your arrival charge is really useful.
On the way back consumption kept dropping: 16.8 kWh/100 km at 70 km and 16.4 at 79 km, at an average speed of 64 km/h. Outside it had warmed up to 4°C (39°F). At 26% battery the car could still pull 66 kW under acceleration. I reached the station with 22%, practically exactly what the navigation had predicted. Total: 88.8 km at an average of 15.4 kWh/100 km. Excellent for that kind of weather.
What I liked, plus a winter tip
The car drives like a bigger one. I didn't hear any odd noises, the materials are fine, and the soft plastic on the dashboard has a nice texture. The 10.1-inch rotating center screen supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. When Android Auto is running the screen can't rotate, but most people will keep it in landscape anyway.
A practical tip: the climate menu has an automatic air recirculation feature at low speed and when parking, meant to keep exhaust fumes out of the cabin. In winter traffic, that recirculation fogs up the windows, and they stay fogged even after the feature switches off. I recommend turning it off, especially when there are several people in the car.
What it means for drivers
The battery doesn't "die" in the cold. At -8°C with the heat on, the BYD Dolphin Surf used between 15 and 17 kWh/100 km on country roads. By my math, at around 17 kWh/100 km you can cover about 200 km (124 miles) on a winter road trip. On two-lane roads at an average of 60–70 km/h, that's roughly three hours of driving, after which you'd take a 30-minute break anyway. If you live in an apartment like I do and leave with 60%, plan a charging stop after about 100 km, over a coffee.
Officially, according to "BYD Europe", the Dolphin Surf comes with a 30 kWh Blade Battery (Active, 220 km WLTP) or a 43.2 kWh one (Boost and Comfort, up to 322 km WLTP combined and 507 km WLTP city). DC fast charging peaks at 65 kW on the Active and 85 kW on the Boost and Comfort, with 10–80% in about 30 minutes, and every version gets 11 kW AC charging. Keep in mind that WLTP figures are European ratings and tend to be more optimistic than US EPA estimates. For city driving and regional winter trips, the Dolphin Surf struck me as a very good choice. You'll find the charging session after this drive in my next video.
