[RaghuVis]

Originally Posted by evolvo

- no option to charge in apartment, but luckily my office parking has a port just beside my parking slot

You are one brave guy to buy an electric vehicle even though there is no option to charge it at home. Many people who live in older apartments with no option for a charging point as well as people living on rent have this drawback at the top of their list to discard an EV.

I am very curious to know your rationale behind selecting an electric car with such a huge limitation. Maybe, you might push a few more into the EV life.

[evolvo]

Originally Posted by RaghuVis

You are one brave guy to buy an electric vehicle even though there is no option to charge it at home. Many people who live in older apartments with no option for a charging point as well as people living on rent have this drawback at the top of their list to discard an EV.

I am very curious to know your rationale behind selecting an electric car with such a huge limitation. Maybe, you might push a few more into the EV life.

Nah, not exactly about brave…just had various options figured out prior to purchase.

This is a family car and will be used by my parents in another town. That house has ample parking space in the compound and we have even setup few charging points for this car and for our electric scooter. So it’s all sorted that way.

We’re just waiting for BYD to install the 7kW station so we don’t need to use the mobile charger everyday.

That said, I had used the car in hyderabad on and off for the past 2 weeks. During this time, I’ve used the charging point at my office, which has charge points in parking as it is a modern building (visible in one of the front view pic). This way I’m lucky

Also, in my (relatively old) apartment complex, civil work is going on to setup two common charge points in two visitor parkings. So that should be sorted soon. I’m sure they are DC points, and hence would cost atleast ₹15-20/kW. This would increase my cost/km from ₹1 to ₹3 but it is good to have options

Aside from both these options, there are plenty of chargers across hyderabad (ranging from 30-60-150kW) which would cost between ₹22-30/kW incl. GST. This would increase my cost/km from ₹1 to ₹4/5, but can be used for emergencies.

I’m sure the public charging infra within the city and on the highways will improve drastically shortly. And the costs are bound to come down a bit too. In the meanwhile, you might have to start with paying more at public outlets until things level off.

[nyt2090]

Congrats
Definitely a head-turner , and the color is beautiful. Hoping BYD to bring more cars in the Indian market. Thanks for the detailed and well written review.

[walchan99]

I would’ve had this by mid-Jan, but got spooked by a combination of range anxiety and high price. I cancelled my booking, and have been having mild ‘canceller’s remorse’. The price aspect doesn’t need elucidation. The range worry came from having to do 380 kn several times a year (HALF of which is hill driving). Would the original poster and any contributors please clarify if their long-distance drives were flatland ones? Any guesses how steeply charge would drop in the Uttarakhand hills?

[evolvo]

Originally Posted by walchan99

I would’ve had this by mid-Jan, but got spooked by a combination of range anxiety and high price. I cancelled my booking, and have been having mild ‘canceller’s remorse’. The price aspect doesn’t need elucidation.

Many cancelled their bookings when BYD announced the prices, and it is understandable. BYD was a new brand for many in India, with very few dealerships, and price of the Atto was higher by atleast 3-4 lacs.

If it was ~30 lacs, it would have taken the market by storm. It would have been an easy purchase decision too, as it has everything else going for it.

But I guess even at the higher price, it is one of the better options right now, as it is the only car with a skateboard, this side of Hyundai Ioniq.

Originally Posted by walchan99

The range worry came from having to do 380 kn several times a year (HALF of which is hill driving). Would the original poster and any contributors please clarify if their long-distance drives were flatland ones? Any guesses how steeply charge would drop in the Uttarakhand hills?

I have frequently done 360km one way without charge stops, so we have a similar trip distance. However, most of the roads I travel are highways and rural with only very few inclines.

From the various EV reviews I’ve seen, range drops quite a bit while driving uphill, but you should be able to recoup some using high regen when going downhill. If you drive sedately (~80kmph), you should be able to do 380-400km, hills included.

Frankly, I feel BYD is your best bet right now in terms of range, as both ZS EV and Nexon EV Max would definitely not make this trip on one charge.

[swarnava.ch]

Originally Posted by evolvo

A more elaborate update:
Got our Atto 3 at the start of the month.

I’d be happy to answer any specific questions

Congrats evolvo for your new car, looks awesome. I had a few questions I wanted to clarify.
1. Its usually recommended, in other EV forums, to charge the car to 100% atleast few times a month so as to have cell rebalancing. Without your 7KW charger, this would take full night + more time. Is this also the case with Atto ?
2. Same as before, its usually recommended by service guys to also discharge the car till about 10 to 15% which seems to be good for a healthy cell life. Any such recommendations from your SA ?
3. Any restrictions on continuous DC fast charging which can be done ? I read in Nexon forums that after 3 – 4 DC fast charges, its better to give the car a chance to charge on a regular AC slow charger to full 100%.
4. All aside, how is the ride quality of the car specifically over bad roads compared to a regular ICE like Creta/Nexon etc ?
5. Do keep us posted on your experiences, specially the service experience for BYD.

[shrey220]

Originally Posted by Kevinrevvz

Congratulations on this beautiful machine. I own a ZS EV and the highway range of 250km when cruising at 100kmph is quite bad. With cruise set to 100 and a couple of launches from toll gates for a bit of giggles, what kind of real world range can we expect from the Atto3?

True. My 2022 ZS EV barely returned a range of 220-250 kms with cruise control set at 120 kmph on the Samruddhi highway. But at 90 kmph, the range drastically improved to 350 kms.

[evolvo]

Originally Posted by swarnava.ch

1. Its usually recommended, in other EV forums, to charge the car to 100% atleast few times a month so as to have cell rebalancing. Without your 7KW charger, this would take full night + more time. Is this also the case with Atto ?

I think this does not apply to LFP batteries (that are used in BYD and MG). May apply to Nexon.

In any case, even without trying, we end up charging to 100% atleast a few times in a month. Assume you’re at 60% by end of day (happens mostly), and you plug in your mobile charger for the night… it reaches 100% by morning. So not to worry.

—-
Btw, seems the showrooms just got the 7kW chargers, hopefully getting ours tomorrow. I was not informed by them though, only knew because I called duh!

Originally Posted by swarnava.ch

2. Same as before, its usually recommended by service guys to also discharge the car till about 10 to 15% which seems to be good for a healthy cell life. Any such recommendations from your SA ?

No such recommendations from SA. Based on online forums, not needed for LFP.

In any case again we end up with 10-15% few times a month anyways(after long trips, forgot to charge, etc), so I guess it’s not a big deal.

Originally Posted by swarnava.ch

3. Any restrictions on continuous DC fast charging which can be done ? I read in Nexon forums that after 3 – 4 DC fast charges, its better to give the car a chance to charge on a regular AC slow charger to full 100%.

No restriction for LFP. Based on online forums, with BYD you can DC fast charge to 100% any number of times.

Restriction applies to Nexon though.

Originally Posted by swarnava.ch

4. All aside, how is the ride quality of the car specifically over bad roads compared to a regular ICE like Creta/Nexon etc ?

Atto is more tuned towards comfort, and is generally good. However, over bad roads, it can feel a bit wobbly. Compared to ICE, you can hear a bit of this and also road noise as there’s no engine noise to mute these.

Originally Posted by swarnava.ch

5. Do keep us posted on your experiences, specially the service experience for BYD.

Sure. At 3k now, first service interaction at 5k. Hope it’s good

[ADI7YAK]

Originally Posted by shrey220

True. My 2022 ZS EV barely returned a range of 220-250 kms with cruise control set at 120 kmph on the Samruddhi highway. But at 90 kmph, the range drastically improved to 350 kms.

Efficiency on EVs drops significantly above 100kmph. See the picture below. This is from range tests conducted by popular YouTuber Bjorn Nyland. I will link the entire Google Sheets here. Though please note that we would always get more range in India due to less extreme climate conditions (too cold or too hot) and slower traffic, except on expressways. In my experience WLTP range estimates are bang on for Indian conditions. Very few cars like Tesla Model 3 and Model Y are efficient at high speeds.

[amanbatra]

Hello! Where can one get mats and other accessories for the Atto 3 in Gurgaon/Delhi? The dealer has low quality ones and they are priced at a high price. Amazon has only 1-2 options. The text says for ‘Atto 3’ but the pics show other cars. So kind of wondering if it’s the right one.

Any suggestions? Preferably black/gray ones.

[aseemsood]

Hello,

I picked up a ski white BYD Atto 3 last week.

Background
I currently drive:
1) 2018 BMW 330i GT
2) 2010 Toyota Corolla Altis

I wanted to replace my Altis and started looking at options. Started with ICE options (including Hybrids) but then started looking at EVs also.

My requirement
A) Interior quality/ feel same or better than Altis
B) Space for 5 people
C) Needed the car in 2 months - by end of Apr 2023

Here are the EVs that I evaluated. I liked all of them but I am sharing the reason why I dropped them.

1) BMW i4: Dropped it because it just does not have space for 5 people. Seat at the back is tight on space for 2 adults also. Seating position is very low. (sorry for comparing this to my 330i GT).

2) MG ZS EV: Did not like the interior design and quality. Can seat 5 but not comfortably.

3) Hyundai Ioniq 5: Long waiting period. If this was available sooner I would have bought this one.

4) Kia EV6: Long waiting period. Also, I wasn't sure if I should spend so much for a Kia.

5) Volvo XC 40 Recharge: Can't seat 5. Also, boring interiors.

What I liked in BYD atto 3 include:
1. Spacious- Can easily seat 5 adults. And good leg room.
2. Interior design- I know many may dislike its funky interiors but I found them refreshing. Quality of materials also at par with my Altis. Tech is also fairly advanced and fast.
3. Promising Battery Tech- read that their blade technology is the most advanced at present.
4. Uniform pricing/ features across countries- When I bought my BMW 330i GT I read that the same vehicle was being sold in UK at 70% (or less) of the price in India. BYD atto 3 was launched in India, UK, Australia, NZ recently. It costs more or less the same in every country ~INR 35L OTR (GBP 38,000 in UK). Somewhere this also looked good to me. Also, same features are being offered in every country.

Have driven around 600km so far. Happy with the purchase.

7.2KW Charger has been installed at my house. It charges the car in around 10 hours. Speed is around 10% per hour.

Also, pls note:
1) Apple CarPlay is wired at present. They say that wireless may be offered in future but can't confirm. CarPlay disconnected a few times and I had to reconnect the cable.
2) Some promised features are disabled at present - (i) 4G Data service sim which is promised for 3 years. This will allow car to access internet for music and to create hotspot in car (ii) Map my india navigation is missing for the time being (iii) Android auto missing for now but promised via an update later this year

[aseemsood]

Originally Posted by amanbatra

Hello! Where can one get mats and other accessories for the Atto 3 in Gurgaon/Delhi? The dealer has low quality ones and they are priced at a high price. Amazon has only 1-2 options. The text says for ‘Atto 3’ but the pics show other cars. So kind of wondering if it’s the right one.

Any suggestions? Preferably black/gray ones.

BYD dealer in Okhla Delhi offered me 3 mat options. I chose the one which is the simplest (only carpet mats, no plastic). Other options had lot of plastic and plastic mesh which I did not like. I like the simple ones that I have got.

You are right, I could not find any options, from a trustworthy online source, for BYD accessories. They have only sold around 1000 cars so far and I am not surprised that mats and accessories designed for atto 3 are not available easily.

[GoBabyGo]

Originally Posted by evolvo

A more elaborate update:
Got our Atto 3 at the start of the month.

Pros:
- Super good looking car (especially red)
- Super comfy interiors and ride
- Super slick LED light bars in front and back
- Apple CarPlay works fine (looks gorge on the big touch screen)
- rear seat comfort is good (look ma, no floor hump )
- range is very good ~420km, which means no “need” for stops if your journey is around 400km.
- great experience overall


Cons:
- Braking at high speeds does not inspire confidence (probably due to the low resistance tyres)
- battery depletes “real fast” at 110+ speeds
- no frunk (can be resolved with after market fitment on alibaba)
- playing music via Bluetooth mixes up the album art
- window reflections on centre screen as it is not tilted towards driver
- 2nd screen (near steering) is ok, but needs much better graphics and legibility
- UI/UX for both screens could be lot better
- no BYD app in India (yet)


The BYD experience:
- The experience with Mody BYD Hyderabad was generally good. A special mention to the ever pleasant Srikanth
- Still awaiting the RSA, SIM card and 7kW charger from BYD
- The accessories kit is pretty lame and better to avoid (yet to get many items still)

Charging Challenges:
- still awaiting 7 kW charger from BYD
- currently managing with 3kW mobile charger, seems fine as it charges upto 60% overnight
- tried only one DC charger so far, it charged fine but no cellular service means could not disconnect from app
- no option to charge in apartment, but luckily my office parking has a port just beside my parking slot

Real world Range:
- Average range of 420km can be easily achieved on full charge (considering worst and best figures of 380 - 480 km)
- Best range 480km achieved by hypermiling between 80-90 kmph (extrapolated from 360km trip ending with 25% charge)
- worst range 380km achieved by aggressive driving between 110-120 kmph (extrapolated from 360km trip ending with 5% charge)


I’d be happy to answer any specific questions

Hi Evolvo, Congratulations on your gorgeous looking Red Hot Atto 3.
Suggested BYD Atto 3 to someone known to me (when he asked), unable to answer him a question and I hope you will be able to help me.

Suppose we are doing 50KW fast charging on a highway while having food and when we come back we see some 75% charged on the machine. Do we have to wait till it is charged 100% or we can manually stop charging at 75%, remove the charger & move on. If it is possible & someone do this thing often, will it impact charging in long run.

Also what is the usual 50KW fast charging cost and if I want to do some calculation, how do I do it eg. cost of doing fast charging for 1000km

Thanks in advance!

[CCRider]

Originally Posted by aseemsood

Hello,

B) Space for 5 people
C) Needed the car in 2 months - by end of Apr 2023

What I liked in BYD atto 3 include:

1. Spacious- Can easily seat 5 adults. And good leg room.


Have driven around 600km so far. Happy with the purchase.

Congratulations on the Purchase !
I test drove the vehicle and it was great. This is one vehicle that I am fine to have in a one car garage because the range is high enough and it is future proof in terms of being able to take high DC charge rates.
But my dad felt the under thigh support in the back seat was not sufficient. How was the experience of rear seat passengers in your car in your drives so far esp compard to your other cars?

[evolvo]

Originally Posted by GoBabyGo

Suppose we are doing 50KW fast charging on a highway while having food and when we come back we see some 75% charged on the machine. Do we have to wait till it is charged 100% or we can manually stop charging at 75%, remove the charger & move on. If it is possible & someone do this thing often, will it impact charging in long run.

Also what is the usual 50KW fast charging cost and if I want to do some calculation, how do I do it eg. cost of doing fast charging for 1000km

Thanks in advance!

Yes, the app allows you to disconnect at any point in time. You can even simple charge for 15mins and move on after coffee. However it is ideal to go from 30-80% (below 30% means range anxiety, and above 80% charge speed drops a bit).

BYD uses a LFP Blade battery and there’s no restrictions to how many times you could do this.

—-
The usual DC Fast charging cost is quite expensive at about ₹25/unit including tax. Could vary a bit based on charger speed, but mostly it is this. Atto3 can take upto 88kW, so if cost/unit is same, always prefer a faster charger to save time.

Since it is considerably expensive (3-4x when compared to home charging), ideally you would want to start with 100% at home and only recharge midway as much as required to reach destination. Atto3 has good real range(~420km, conservatively put), so it helps here.

Taking your example of 1000km, here’s a tentative cost:
Start with full charge at home: ₹360 (60units*6/unit), good for 420km (₹0.75/km)
DC Charging: ₹2250 (90 units*25/unit), good for 630km (₹3.6/km)

Tentative Total cost: 2610 for 1050km (~ ₹2.5/km)


A similar trip in a 200km range car (Tiago, Nexon) could cost about ₹1000 more

Hope this helps