BYD Denza B8 Drives Off on Three Wheels With a Wheel Clamp On

A Denza B8 SUV has been spotted in China driving away on three wheels, with its front left wheel raised clear of the road. The lifted wheel still carried a parking wheel clamp, so the driver appears to have used BYD's hydraulic suspension to escape a parking penalty.

Where the dark green SUV went is unknown. It may have had the tire swapped or the clamp cut off somewhere, or the driver may have gone to pay the fine.

How the system works

The feature comes from DiSus-P Ultra, a fully active hydraulic suspension system from BYD that adjusts ride height. It is available on the Denza B8 and can lift any one of the four wheels, which allows three-wheel driving.

The system has other uses. It can be lowered at high speed for stability, or raised off-road to reduce the risk of scraping the underbody on rocks. It also helps absorb impacts. Used well, it can climb up and down uneven ground in a walking-like motion, or help free the car when it is stuck in sand. When towing, it can control force automatically, and changing a tire does not require a jack.

Limits of the trick

Three-wheel driving is available only on the China-specific Flash Charge Edition, and the suspension can move up to 30 cm up and down. In this mode top speed is limited to 15 km/h, so the driver likely attracted attention the whole way at a crawl.

BYD's related DiSus-X body control system on the Yangwang U9 electric supercar has previously been shown making the car jump while moving at speed. The three-wheel escape offers an unexpected real-world use for this kind of technology, though dodging a parking violation is hardly an intended one.