BYD yesterday revealed the DiSus intelligent body control system at a technology launch event at its Shenzhen, China, headquarters. The “full-stack” self-developed system is exclusive to the company’s NEVs (New Energy Vehicles). With the development, the company says it is the first Chinese automobile manufacturer to own its intelligent vehicle body control technology throughout.

“The BYD DiSus system is the first self-developed intelligent body control system launched by a Chinese automobile company, marking the breakthrough from zero to one,” said Wang Chuanfu, Chairman and President of BYD. “The BYD DiSus system will further secure the globally pioneering stance for BYD in the industry.”

BYB bills itself as the world leader in NEVs—a term used in China to designate plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) eligible for public subsidies and including only battery electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). In 2022, BYD sold more than 1.85 million plug-in electric passenger cars, making it the world’s largest manufacturer of rechargeable cars. About half, or a little more than 911,000, of those, were BEVs, trailing only Tesla’s global sales of over 1.31 million BEVs in 2022.

After making breakthroughs in core NEV-related technologies—like the DM Super Hybrid, e-Platform 3.0, Blade Battery, and e4 Platform—BYD claims it took the lead in researching vertical motion control, outpacing its peers in providing systematic solutions for vertical motion control and mastering intelligent body control technology for NEVs. It differentiates its systematic technology approach from other solutions that it says are only focused on a single technology or component enhancement.

The DiSus system takes advantage of the company’s head-start in electrification and intelligence of its NEVs, building on their perception, decision-making, and execution capabilities. The collaborative control of body dynamics in lateral, longitudinal, and vertical dimensions is also said to provide a better foundation for the future development of ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems).

The company says its new solution ensures a vehicle is more agile and compatible with most driving scenarios, minimizing the risk of vehicle rollover, and reducing the displacement of occupants during high-speed cornering, full-throttle acceleration, or emergency braking. It can also better protect a vehicle from damage in a variety of conditions such as snowy, muddy, and water areas.

The new system comes in three versions: DiSus-C for intelligent damping body control, DiSus-A for intelligent air body control, and DiSus-P for intelligent hydraulic body control. It will be available in several models under the BYD Dynasty and Ocean series, the Denza and Yangwang luxury brands, and a new brand launching this summer that specializes in professional and personalized identities.

DiSus-P will appear first on the Yangwang U8 and DiSus-A on the Denza N7. A number of other BYD Han, Tang, and Denza models with hardware availability will be able to be equipped with DiSus-C through an over-the-air (OTA) upgrade.

At the end of the event, BYD showed its upcoming Yangwang U9 supercar equipped with a DiSus-X that showcased its ability to dance, jump, and drive on only three wheels. The special range-topping version of the DiSus is said to be the most advanced vehicle body control system in the industry globally.

 

Going upmarket with Yangwang

The launch of the Yangwang premium sub-brand in January was one of BYD’s most significant recent events, entering the luxury space with the U8 SUV and U9 supercar. Both are priced at around RMB 1 million (bout $145,000) and are underpinned by Yangwang’s e4 Platform.

“The Yangwang brand will be the first to apply the cutting-edge technologies of BYD Group and offer [excellent] safety, performance, and experience to customers even in extreme driving conditions,” said Chuanfu, at the January launch event.

As the first Yangwang production model, the U8 is positioned as a hardcore new-energy SUV designed to handle extreme off-road adventures. It is over 5 m long and 2 m wide and adopts the brand’s “Time Gate” design language, combining “futuristic elements with hardcore styling.” The e4 Platform gives the U8 “intelligent extrication and emergency response capabilities in complex road conditions.”

The U9 is positioned as a pure-electric high-performance supercar boasting 0-100 km/h acceleration in 2 s. Its Time Gate design language integrates “definitive supercar styling with futuristic elements.” To address the pain points of supercar safety and comfort, the R&D team is said to have applied innovative technologies to deliver an extremely safe body structure beyond even the most stringent safety standards and made it capable of driving comfortably in the city as well as on the track.

BYD says that the e4 Platform is the first mass-produced four-motor independent-drive technology platform in China. Designed to guarantee leading-class safety levels for its customers, it can precisely adjust the dynamics of the four wheels thanks to its independent vector control.

The platform is said to completely reconfigure the attributes of new energy vehicles in terms of perception, decision-making, and execution, reshaping the power system capabilities of conventional fuel vehicles. The technology was previewed in the ET concept car shown by BYD twenty years ago, finally reaching mass production after critical breakthroughs in three core fields: electric motor, battery, and electronic controller.

With the platform, independent regulation of wheel-side dynamics is possible at millisecond speeds for better vehicle control. For example, after a single-tire blowout, the technology can precisely adjust the torque of the remaining three wheels with millisecond precision, helping the vehicle to stop in a more stable manner.

The e4 Platform in ultimate performance form has delivered maximum motor speeds of 20,500 rpm and outputs exceeding 1100 hp, enabling vehicles to run in “various conditions” including on streets, off-road, and on racetracks. Models equipped with the e4 Platform are IP68-rated waterproof and body sealing technology to allow the vehicles “to float on the water.”

BYD says that a Yangwang test vehicle equipped with the e4 Platform recently succeeded in challenging slope-climbing tests in the Alashan desert, demonstrating its immense potential using four-wheel grip control. An e4 Platform vehicle can perform a 360-degree tank turn with the use of its highly integrated in-house-developed electric motor. Even if the steering and braking systems fail, thanks to the motors’ independent torque output capabilities the e4 Platform allows the vehicle to brake from 100 km/h in less than 40 m and to steer in less than 12 m.

Yangwang will operate as an independent BYD sales channel to create a premium brand that offers “open, fair, consistent, and sustainable services accessible to consumers.”