Abstract
BYD SEAL is a new developed A+ class sedan by BYD Auto, based on third generation high-performance and high-safety electric platform for EVs. SEAL gives full play to the advantages of electric vehicles in terms of space, handling, NVH, etc., while striving to reach the same level of fuel vehicles in terms of cost and recharge mileage. Therefore it has been dedicated to minimizing energy consumption from all components since its inception, and an important one is to reduce the aerodynamic drag effectively. However, the “ocean aesthetics” styling design based on the original concept model and platform with short overhangs must be kept on this car, which brings great challenge to aerodynamic development. An adaptable aerodynamic development process is set up and correlation between CFD simulation and wind tunnel test are established. This paper depicts the features of the flow field determined in the aerodynamic development process of the BYD SEAL, and describes the key factors in aerodynamic drag reduction as a full model change in detail. Effective rear roofline angle, tail design, front bumper corners, underbody, wheel, detail management such as sealing loss are studied and optimized by Powerflow and Star-CCM+ simulation softwares, and verified in wind tunnel tests of full-scale clay models and prototype vehicles. Design fusion and development tool/efficiency improvement around the vehicle are established, and the inherent drag reduction mechanism is revealed. These findings are of great significance to the aerodynamic optimization with diverse aesthetic and engineering requirements under the background of EV platformization.
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