Eco Mode vs Normal Mode | BYD Seal Range Test for Highway Efficiency

Is Eco Mode actually more efficient than Normal Mode for Highway Driving in the BYD Seal? Driving my 82.5kWh RWD Premium variant from Sydney to Katoomba Blue Mountains in both modes on separate days range test by BYD Tom aka Tesla Tom of Ludicrous Feed Australia April 2024
Eco Mode vs Normal Mode | BYD Seal Range Test for Highway Efficiency
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Financial Disclosure:
- No payment was received from BYD for the production of this video
- I was not a BYD shareholder at the time this video was posted
- I paid for all food and beverage seen in this video
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00:00 Introduction
00:25 Experimental Method Details
01:51 Trip Computer Setup
03:18 Part 1: Normal Mode Sydney to Katoomba
07:41 Dinner in Katoomba
07:59 Katoomba to Sydney
09:24 Normal Mode Summary
09:59 Part 2: Eco Mode
11:37 Eco Mode Summary
12:02 Eco vs Normal Results
12:39 Discussion
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ABOUT LUDICROUS FEED
Ludicrous Feed is a Sydney-based KZbin channel that started in 2018 after Tom purchased his Tesla Model S. He wanted to show the reality of Australian daily life with his family and an electric vehicle. Tom provides straightforward candid insights into key issues around EV adoption such as vehicle range, charging infrastructure and road trip planning. The weekly live stream is an opportunity for industry guests to directly engage with audience members from the EV community. Tom also has a Tesla Powerwall 2 coupled with rooftop solar and has reviewed many other electric vehicles for the channel including brands such as Tesla, BYD, Polestar, Volvo, MG, Hyundai, Genesis, Kia and Cupra.
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CONTACT LUDICROUS FEED
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Email [e-mail]

[@LudicrousFeed]

With thanks to our sponsors: Koba EV Insurance - Get a Quote today! www.kobainsurance.com.au/products/electric-vehicle-insurance

[@DMT267]

An honest and real world test. Thank you Tom. Appreciate the time and effort you put in to help others.

[@LudicrousFeed]

My pleasure 🥂

[@Audios81]

We’ve found the same roughly. A trip to Canberra showed we squeezed a bit more kms on Eco than Normal. Only downside is the lack of “grunt” in Eco. ~2000kms since delivery on 10th April, and find that the Normal mode provides much increased performance over Eco and the gains in Eco aren’t worth it in our circumstances. Great video again, thank you for doing the comparison, it really does help us EV newbies out here!

[@LudicrousFeed]

Pleasure! I suppose on the freeway, there’s not too much compromise on Eco mode given you’re cruising within a narrow range of speed anyway most of the time (except for overtakes). I definitely use Sport Mode in the city, love that acceleration too much 😆

[@ZurOhki1]

The lack of grunt is probably where the efficiency comes from. There isn't much you can tune on an EV drivetrain, the main thing you can do is make people accelerate more slowly by fiddling with the accelerator pedal's responsiveness. You can probably drive in sport mode and get the same efficiency as eco mode if you're gentle enough on the pedal.

[@paulsimpson8990]

@@ZurOhki1they can actually drop the battery temperature for the lower power modes because the battery has to be able to deliver the demand power and needs to be hotter to deliver more power. Tesla drops the battery temp in eco mode which is why you don’t get max power and you save energy in battery heating depending on climate etc. the reverse is also true. The battery needs to be hot at accept power which is why it gets heated when you dc charge.

[@et1965]

Great video. So very informative for the real world as usual.

[@LudicrousFeed]

Glad it was helpful!

[@bign1667]

Great road trip test 👍 thank you

[@LudicrousFeed]

Pleasure 🥂

[@westbr08]

Really like that you considered so many variables, even mentioning those you couldn’t control. To many reviews do comparisons especially between different models, but don’t mention the variables that could have skewed results.

[@LudicrousFeed]

Gotta respect the scientific method when doing these tests!

[@Cam-uo8ey]

Great video Tom. Appreciate the effort 👍

[@LudicrousFeed]

Cheers 🥂 It was a test that had to be done 🙏

I drive a BYD Dolphin and was recently able to test a Seal Premium for a week. I prefer Eco mode because it is a more pleasant driving experience. You have more pedal travel and therefore better control of acceleration, which the passengers especially love. There is more than enough power even in Eco mode.

[@LudicrousFeed]

Yes agreed if there are passengers in the car with me, I'll usually switch to Normal Mode when driving around town for their comfort

@@LudicrousFeed Normal is still too much for me; especially with the Seal Dynamik.

[@LudicrousFeed]

@ You gotta do what’s best for you 🙏

[@JimmyChan9393]

Great effort. TQ

[@LudicrousFeed]

Pleasure

[@yggdrasil9039]

Awesome video. Love the Seal. I was surprised that you almost didn't gain a bit of range at the bottom of the mountain, given it's a 1km drop from Katoomba to Penrith/Emu Plains. Eco mode is pretty impressive though. Looks like you'd get close to 600km range.

[@LudicrousFeed]

Depends on weather conditions as I found out that same weekend 😁 Long Range BYD Seal Highway Range and Efficiency Driving in the Rain kzbin.info/www/bejne/an_CYaR4Zph-ocU

[@sydneycycling8631]

Thanks for the video. Would be good to do a comparison for the regen. I’ve recently got a seal and heard there is more efficiency with standard regen. Cheers learnt a lot from your videos so all very appreciated.

[@LudicrousFeed]

Pleasure. Yes that’s my next experiment: comparing the two regen levels while at cruising speed 👍

[@sreesub]

This is a great video. That said mode is one of the factors. How you drive also matters. If drive softly range will be great, if you accelerate like crazy then range goes down. I always drive L mode on my Bolt and dont push too hard and get great range.

[@LudicrousFeed]

Yes driving style matters as does cruising speed. I suppose myself being the same driver in both arms of the test does standardise it to some extent 😁

[@kencloudable4048]

Great video again. Thank you! It seems that the difference between the 2 is not that much. I'm wondering if the Sports mode will also have little difference compared to the Normal or the difference will be much higher?

[@LudicrousFeed]

Good question … in Sport Mode I’d be too tempted to floor it each time 😆

[@sop1311]

The big centre screen looks great. Tesla should take notes on the smaller screen in front of the driver.

[@LudicrousFeed]

Call me old fashioned but I quite like the instrument cluster screen behind the steering wheel

[@savercop]

Hy and greetings from Germany. I realy like your Videos, can not wait to get my Seal at the end of the year....can you tell me, do you have the 4wd with 530HP? The Modelnames here are diffrent and i would like to know if this is the consumption of the big one? Thnaks a lot

[@LudicrousFeed]

The car seen in this video is the Long Range RWD 82.5kWh battery known as the “Premium” variant in Australia

[@MrRobertjusher]

I’m still in the first 1000km in my seal so as advised I’m staying in eco. I look forward to really seeing what happens in sport😂

[@LudicrousFeed]

Sport = next level fun 😁

[@GolLeeMe]

Thank you for taking the time to try this out. The test might have a mass problem, but as stated, you cannot control all variables. 4 people up the mountains in normal mode and 2 down, then 2 up and 4 down in eco mode 2 days later is problematic. I think it’s too close to call, and surprising as I would have expected Eco to be much further ahead in this particular test.

[@LudicrousFeed]

Pleasure! This was too good of an opportunity to not do this test 😁 despite its limitations of courseP

[@robertmerkel8247]

Doing a rough, high school physics calculation, the effects of the weight allocation could have accounted for a roughly 1KWh difference, more if the kids are teenagers or they took a lot of luggage. Given the other sources of variation, in my view you can’t rule out the “eco mode has no effect on consumption on a gently driven car” hypothesis on the basis of this test.

[@LudicrousFeed]

@@robertmerkel8247 The extra weight with our 2 teenagers and light luggage probably equated to an extra 100kg of weight which is less than 5% of the car’s mass

[@robertmerkel8247]

In general, sure. But this was a somewhat unusual route you were taking. In normal mode, you started somewhere in Sydney at close to sea level, drove to Katoomba (at roughly 1000 metres of altitude) with 100 kg in the car. So you had to use extra energy to get the car up the hill. Normally, you’d get a lot of that back going down the hill, but you took the weight out again for the trip down. On the eco mode trip, the car was light for going uphill (so you used less energy to get up the hill) then heavy for going downhill (so you used less energy downhill). I agree the effect is not huge, but like I said, rough calculations suggest it might explain a fair chunk of the fairly small differences between normal and eco mode on this specific route. Anyway, thanks for the videos, I do appreciate them!

[@d4dl]

Great video. Have you done a similar range test with a Tesla Y?

[@LudicrousFeed]

Yup! I’ve done a few road trips and range tests in the Model Y: Tesla Model Y kzbin.info/aero/PLh3LhKaMp3hJ81oHdjWNtkGBvDn_LhsXw

[@CThienV]

Thank you for your videos. They are helping my purchasing decision. I've never owned a car with driving modes before, but i would think drive modes should alter the throttle response with different maps that do not limit maximum power when floored. what if sudden power is needed to get out of a sticky situation? Roll the little dial to sport mode in the split second before death? is there a kick-down feature in this car like a traditional Automatic ICE car would have?

[@LudicrousFeed]

Pleasure. I don't ever recall seeing an OEM "Kick-Down" button or feature in any of the EVs I've reviewed to date ... however there are after market products such as the S3XY Knob/Buttons that can be programmed to create that short burst of acceleration if needed: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jKuThqRrqrCcjas

[@CThienV]

@@LudicrousFeed Ahh, interesting. An actual button. The Kickdown is that last part of the throttle pedal's travel that triggers the gearbox to shift down to lowest gear possible for max revs/power in automatic ICE cars. Theres an actual tactile bump at the kickdown point on my pedal. (honda accord euro).

[@waynehobbs5175]

Great video Tom and appreciated your honesty about the variables. IMO if you reversed the tests and did ECO with the additional uphill load and NORM with the downhill load I suspect the results may have been closer. Energy used to climb hills is never fully recovered going down hills (physics laws). Also and personally, in my Atto 3 that we have owned for one year now (14900km) we find efficency with low regen best on highways and high regen in the city. Same physics laws that more energy required to get moving again than what is gained on regen. Disclaimer: we don't have the equivalent of the Blue Mountains here in SA but I did the following test. We have a section of road called Willunga Hill which is about a 9% hill over about three kilometres. Going down in low regen ICC normal mode I gained more range than in high regen mode. Although the hill component was only 3km ish I measured over 8km. The reason I believe low regen is better there is because after the ICC corrects the speed on flatish sections in particular it uses less energy regaining the speed. Apologies for my confusing wording but there was a 2km range difference recorded.

[@LudicrousFeed]

Thanks! Agreed I think it would’ve been closer had I controlled the mass a bit better. My next test will be to test standard vs high regen on the highway to see what the difference in efficiency is … stay tuned!

[@pasilinnosto6712]

A good real world test

[@LudicrousFeed]

Thank you!

[@billylid100]

Hi Tom, I know you try and equalise these tests and you are transparent, another factor is the first trip the return leg home you had the headlights on this would consume power

[@LudicrousFeed]

Yes that’s true although LEDs don’t consume too much

[@Aaa-yc9pe]

Great test. Just out of curiosity, what is the range that the car show when you car is fully charged, with the range display set to dynamic? Mine started off at 650km but its only 636km now.....

[@LudicrousFeed]

Yeah it's something like that but I don't really pay too much attention to the GOM (Guess-o-meter). All that matters is the real world efficiency which of course differs for varying driving conditions

[@zelig9625]

What crazy route did Waze take you on to get to the M4 ? You were at Lane Cove, then on Parramatta Rd at Strathfield.

[@LudicrousFeed]

More interesting … 😁

[@walters2023]

Great work as always, Thank you. Do you think BYD 2nd generation battery we could see in the 2025 vehicles.

[@LudicrousFeed]

Hmm … maybe in their domestic market first?

[@walters2023]

I won't mind waiting till 2026 for BYD 😮. or Zeekr 007 and Xiaomi su7,

[@LudicrousFeed]

Some exciting stuff coming out of the People's Republic later this decade ...

[@electriccarstv]

Thank you, it would be wonderful if you could compare the range of a fully loaded Tesla Model 3 standard range and the Long Range model, both year of manufacture 2024 highline

[@LudicrousFeed]

That would be a good test

[@fordgrunt351]

Just picked up our white BYD Seal Performance today! Drove from Newcastle to Hornsby (one way) non-scientific but seem fairly efficient based on 95% starting SOC ending with 65% SOC - normal mode. Keep up the good work (BYD Seal content) 🦭 👍🏻

[@LudicrousFeed]

Congrats!

[@fatdoi003]

if i have my own solar panels and home batteries.... i'll always drive in performance mode

[@LudicrousFeed]

That’s why I always drive in P 😆 (when I'm by myself lol)

[@rinopino6338]

Always beautiful videos, thanks for that but somehow the 14.4 kWh/100km in normal mode is not correct if the battery has 82.5 kWh net capacity right? I get 15.29 kWh/100km at 43% of 100% and 232km route? ...... Best regards from Germany

[@LudicrousFeed]

Thanks! Don't forget the efficiency shown on screen is only for the past 50km hence it's not valid. That's my biggest gripe with the BYD ecosystem in that the trip stats are not detailed enough. The trip computer really should also include the efficiency for the trip, not just for the past 50km

[@rinopino6338]

@@LudicrousFeed Yes, exactly there was and I didn't think about that ... the 14.4/100km in the on -board computer confused me Thank you and best regards from Germany

[@spikegumby7186]

Thx for the test particularly being the blue mtns, was interested to see real world figures for that trip as i live west of the mtns. Even in an ICE car my consumption figures involving the blue mountains on a return trip are always higher than flatlanders aare getting heading north and south.

[@LudicrousFeed]

Pleasure! Good to know it correlates with your experience 👍

[@ShamanElementalLord]

Which version of the BYD Seal is this? or which battery pack does it have

[@LudicrousFeed]

It’s called the “Premium” variant in Australia but it’s essentially the Single Motor RWD Long Range trim to help compare with other markets. It has a 82.5kWh useable LFP BYD Blade battery as part of its powertrain

[@GREATESTTASTEOFINDIA]

Almost 569 given one shot.....best blade battery in byd But in India its too costly around 45lacs Indian rupees

[@LudicrousFeed]

Yes it really is quite efficient 🙏

[@paulsimpson8990]

That’s pretty decent efficiency 👍 chill mode in Tesla drops the target battery temperature so you save on battery heating. Battery temp is required for maximum power demand.

[@LudicrousFeed]

Interesting ... good feature of Tesla Chill mode 😎

[@TB-up4xi]

A warmer battery is also much more efficient. I have a lifetime usage of 108wh/100 km on my 2023 RWD and get into the low 90's mid summer - I have tried all sorts of combinations and permutations with respect to efficiency, provided I drive in a sensible manner then chill mode does bupkis for efficiency whether it's -5C or 40C outside. I have tried this many times on my regular commute from the Blue Mountains to Surry Hills and back. Aero covers made around a 2% difference but I like the bare alloys better.

[@TB-up4xi]

i.imgur.com/F6cHgps.jpg

[@fordgrunt351]

Would be an interesting test to see whether the spread in efficiency between eco mode and normal or sport in a twin motor Performance is greater. I’d expect it would be.

[@LudicrousFeed]

I suspect on the highway at cruising speed there wouldn’t be too much difference between the two cars when comparing the same modes

[@mailuc1505]

I can see that the Seal now has trip A and trip B kms - did this come with a software update? Does it still have this weird way of calculating its average consumption on the last 50 kms (approx. 30 miles) ?

[@LudicrousFeed]

I think the Trip A/B has always been there (see my earlier infotainment system walkthrough vids) and unfortunately the trip stats are still not great ... it still only shows efficiency for last 50km 🤷‍♂️

[@moncimoov]

i prefer sport mode if the difference is under 5% than any other mode..

[@LudicrousFeed]

Same here but I do appreciate the fact that Eco will get me a few extra km if I'm right on the cusp of making another charger ... 😁

[@briannewman6216]

Going up and down the Blue Mountains is not a normal trip due to the large change in elevation over a short distance. A better test would be a trip along the coast from Sydney either North or South, alternatively a trip along the Hume highway which does have a change in elevation but the elevation change is smaller and over a longer distance.

[@LudicrousFeed]

Thanks for the feedback and yes of course there are always ideal conditions that one can aspire to but given my stage of life, I have to fit my tests in between my other commitments 🙏

[@oldchev2850]

@@LudicrousFeedany test is a good test so thank you for going to the effort. I was in Brissy last week and saw a seal for the first time and I liked the look of it. When I drove back to my home town, which doesn’t have a lot of ev’s, I saw another one. It’d be the only one where I live. I think after seeing your figures, there’s not much in it, especially after pointing out the first trip had more start/stop and more weight driving up the range and less momentum going down. I’m impressed with how much range it does actually get. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to see the interior one day.

[@Andrew-Night]

There is something weird...Tom, your Seal calculates 639km to be able to do being charged Fully 100% battery I own same car as yours, with 15/16 kW consumtion average, RWD 313. But always when I Fully charge my car to 100% , It indicates 570km máximum to do Always 570km, It never indicates more... And your Seal indicates 639km...how Is It possible?? IS my car having any issue? I do not understand In "new energy" battery settings I selected "Standard" Can you give me your opinión please ?

[@LudicrousFeed]

I wouldn’t worry too much about the projected range - I find that it’s never that accurate. The only true value is the efficiency and actual range measured by the trip computer

[@kasmstamps1897]

So eco about 6-8% more efficient than normal. I have to wait until mid May for my Dynamic🦭. I look forward to doing some of my experiments. I'm guessing I'll hypermile on my 500+ trips. The Premium is still the sweet spot but I'm investing the difference in solar panels and TSLA🗣️. I missed the party but I think I'll still end up with some 🎂.

[@LudicrousFeed]

Yes I still think the Premium trim represents the best value

[@billylid100]

I am really interested in your answer to this question. You have 2 sets of keys and you just want to go for a drive, which car do you choose? Is it the Tesla or is it the BYD ?

[@LudicrousFeed]

Honestly right now I’d take the BYD Seal 😆

[@billylid100]

@@LudicrousFeed I love Tesla but I think that one answer will change a lot of people’s choice of EV

[@LudicrousFeed]

Don't get me wrong, I'd also happily take the new Performance Model 3 for a spin 😀

[@smartniraj]

Hi, I have just picked up my BYD seal premium today, it's raining and I am wondering if you figure out how to make it automatic or rain sensing wipers. Any help would be greay

[@LudicrousFeed]

Congrats! The left wiper stalk will have a stop with an "A" labelled next to the wiper symbol. Flick it to that stop and you'll see on the centre instrument screen the words "Wiper Auto" or something to that effect. You are now on Auto Rain Sensing Wipers 👏

[@smartniraj]

@LudicrousFeed thanks as always. Btw can you watch KZbin or Netflix while car is parked? I got two young kids and was wondering if you have figured out.

[@LudicrousFeed]

@@smartniraj You can use the browser to watch KZbin but not Netflix. There are aftermarket products such as CarLinkIt that can act as conduits for other apps

[@smartniraj]

How long it takes for a sim to be activated? It's over 7 days since I have collected my car. App isn't recognising my email.

[@LudicrousFeed]

@@smartniraj Suggest reseating the SIM card in your car - found at the 29 mins mark of this video: BYD Seal Infotainment System Walkthrough and Instrument Cluster Screen kzbin.info/www/bejne/o4nbqYmjermBmtk Otherwise you may need to place a call with BYD Support

[@burnzey1785]

My seal premium apparently docked yesterday in Freo, can anyone who has had a M3 and Seal confirm if the Seal is the better choice? Otherwise for the same money I could buy a 2022 M3 performance.

[@LudicrousFeed]

Now that is a tough choice ... !

[@burnzey1785]

You mention that youve enjoyed the seal as your daily commuter which would suggest the experience has been overall more positive than your Tesla? M3P is basically a racecar so id wager insurance premiums are pretty high

[@LudicrousFeed]

Yes some insurance companies may not insure the Performance variant either so be careful

[@danielkierannevin9081]

600km + at 100% battery? I presume you've the 82.5 kWh battery? Rear wheel or all wheel drive (not to seem stupid- different name seem to be used in Oz compared to Ireland). I've the AWD, and the hypothetical range is 520, although more realistically I'll get 400ish.

[@LudicrousFeed]

The car seen in this video is the long range RWD 82.5kWh variant known as “Premium” in Australia

[@Jiichuuu__]

3:57 Ayyyy ITZY

[@LudicrousFeed]

Cake cake cake cake cake?

[@Jiichuuu__]

Oh wee La-la-la, la-la-la, la Shake it shake, bust it up bust it up Do you have a fav member? Mines Lia

[@LudicrousFeed]

I've only just touched the surface of the K-Pop world ... (May 2024) 😁

[@Jiichuuu__]

Don't end up like me and spend $450 on concert merch...

[@henvan8737]

Not a real conclusive result, what changes in the vehicle between these 2 modes that affects the efficiency.

[@LudicrousFeed]

For most situations I’d probably stick with Normal or Sport but if I’m close to the cusp of making it to the next charger then it’s comforting to know that Eco Mode is there to help with range anxiety

[@Another_opinion_]

Realistically, not enough difference to bother, I guess.

[@LudicrousFeed]

Probably not for most situations ... but useful if you're right on the edge of making it to another charger ...

[@Another_opinion_]

@@LudicrousFeed it's good to know that you could squeeze an extra mile if needed, but... sport mode is king!

[@LudicrousFeed]

@@Another_opinion_ Sport Mode when range doesn’t matter 😅

[@manuelguevara1437]

EV mode range?

[@LudicrousFeed]

EV Mode? It’s full electric

[@manuelguevara1437]

@@LudicrousFeed oh sorry, I was looking for plug-in hybrid