Specifications
The U8 features BYD's proprietary "e4" (易四方) individual wheel drive (IWD) technology. It is the world’s first exclusive intelligent hydraulic body control system for new energy off-road vehicles with four separate electric motors each propelling a single wheel. This technology allows the traction control system to redistribute torque and maintain stability of the vehicle in the case of a tyre puncture at speed. It also allows the U8 to use differential steering and perform an up to 359-degree[10] "tank turn" in tight spots by having the left and right wheels spinning in opposite directions. During the media release event in early 2023, BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu personally drove a Mecanum-wheeled demo vehicle sideways onto the stage. According to the developers, the new electronically controlled all-wheel drive system is 100 times faster than a conventional all-wheel drive system.[11]
The basic U8 has Disus-P (云辇-P) active suspension with the capacity to increase the ground clearance by 15 cm.[12] Being an off-road vehicle, the U8 Premium Edition is capable of wading in a maximum depth of 1000 mm, while the Off-road Master Edition can wade up to 1400 mm, being equipped with a snorkel.[7] It also has limited ability to sail on water, although BYD discourages owners to do so as it is only meant as an emergency escape feature for disaster situations like flash floods, and owners must take their vehicle to a service centre for inspection afterwards. When the vehicle detected higher water depth than the wading limit, it will activate an emergency floating mode. In this mode, the vehicle will shut down its petrol engine, the Disus-P system will raise the suspension to the maximum level, the windows will be closed automatically, the air conditioner will be switched to internal circulation mode, and the sunroof will open to provide an emergency exit. It is capable of staying afloat for 30 minutes and move forward at 3 km/h.[13] Approach, departure, breakover angles are 36.5°, 35.4° and 25.5° respectively, with a ramp travel index of 600.[2][14]
The U8's dashboard is embedded with three screens, which include a 23.6-inch instrument panel display for the driver, a vertical 12.8-inch central control infotainment touchscreen, and another 23.6-inch infotainment screen for the front passenger. Two screens are mounted to the back of the front seats for the rear passengers, and another screen is mounted on the console between the rear seats. The driver is supplemented with a 70-inch augmented reality head-up display and 22 Dynaudio-branded speakers. Other in-car technologies include three mobile phone wireless chargers, a thermographic camera and an integrated satellite phone.[7] The center console has built-in compressor fridge, freezer, heater capable of maintaining temperatures between -6 and 50 °C.[14]
The U8 uses the Nvidia Drive Orin system-on-a-chip (SoC) for its Level 2 advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS), with a computational power of 508 TOPS. Input are supplied from 38 sensors around the vehicle, including 3 lidars, 13 cameras, 12 ultrasonic sonars, and 5 millimeter wave radars.[7]
