BYD Electric Car Rear Motor Falls Off
While footage of the electric motor being dragged along has sparked various memes, the incident is linked to a severe underbody collision
A viral post that circulated widely recently showed a BYD Tang SUV with its rear electric drive motor assembly detached from the body. The only thing holding the motor while it was being dragged at the rear was the flexible, orange high-voltage wiring harness. BYD has analysed the incident and identified a specific cause that could have triggered this bizarre and dramatic chain of events.
BYD’s statement
When a post goes viral, it will naturally attract various theories and perspectives. In this incident involving BYD Tang, questions were raised about the quality standards. Since the SUV is seen driving in heavy rain, there were also claims that a heavy rush of water could be somehow linked to the incident. However, according to BYD, the incident of the rear motor assembly getting detached was caused by “a severe underbody collision”.
In the viral footage and images shared online, one can only see a small part of the SUV’s entire journey on that day. It is possible that the SUV could have passed through a flooded street earlier. There, its underbody could have collided with a submerged, hidden obstacle. It could be any object such as a submerged cement block. Or a raised manhole cover or any other heavy debris hiding in the flooded street.
Due to the heavy rain, it is possible that the driver may not have noticed the motor being dragged at the back. The SUV was still able to move forward since this is an AWD model with front and rear electric motors. Since the front electric motor and its independent controller were likely undamaged, the SUV continued to move forward.
Motor detachment part of safety design
In an electric car, parts like the electric motor are attached to the frame using special metal mounts. These are designed for a specific load, beyond which, they work as controlled shear points. This setup ensures greater safety for passengers. The motor mounts are designed to snap in case of a severe frontal or rear impact.
In such cases, the motor will drop down or move away, instead of pushing itself into the cabin. This is likely what happened with the viral incident reported online. Only difference is that the collision in this case was likely from a submerged object below. The viral video also reveals that the electric motor was likely still spinning. It could have continued to get power from the battery pack.
BYD Tang is a family-oriented 7-seater SUV, available in pure electric and plug-in hybrid formats. PHEVs are available in efficiency focused (DM-i) and performance oriented (DM-p) versions. Pure electric versions utilize a 108.8 kWh battery pack. Range is up to 950 km with RWD and up to 850 km with the AWD variants. PHEV versions utilize a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine, paired with a 21.5-35+ kWh LFP battery pack.