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The BYD SEALION 7 electric crossover delivers an impressive driving experience and a premium feel, but it’s the company behind the car that’s the really interesting story (watch out Tesla – and everyone else).
The electric SEALION 7 crossover is from BYD, a company which some car buyers in the UK may still not be aware of – but this is likely to change very soon. BYD EVs already on sale in the UK are the Atto 3 compact SUV, the DOLPHIN hatchback and the SEAL saloon, as well as the SEAL U plug-in hybrid.
BYD was founded in 1995 as a rechargeable battery maker and BYD Auto was founded in 2003. BYD has remained top of ‘new energy’ (BEV and PHEV) passenger vehicle sales in China for 11 years in a row and has sold more than nine million new energy vehicles globally (covering six continents and over 90 countries and regions). This makes BYD the world’s leading manufacturer of new energy vehicles – and the company has recently overtaken Tesla in EV sales.
The SEALION 7 was launched at a UK event where Stella Li, Executive Vice President of BYD, gave an update about the company. Apart from BYD cars being able to leap over potholes and having the ability to launch drones into the air to film your car while you’re driving, the company’s new 1,000 kilowatt charging technology can add almost 250 miles of range in five minutes. This allows an EV to be refuelled as quickly as a petrol car; 4,000 of these BYD chargers are to be unveiled in China, along with two BYD EVs that can accept these charging speeds – we look forward to the technology coming to the UK (hopefully grid connections for 1,000 kilowatt chargers will be possible…).
The SEALION 7 is a mid-size crossover measuring 4,830 mm in length. There are three models – Comfort rear-wheel drive and Design all-wheel drive, both with BYD’s 82.5 kWh Blade battery, and Excellence all-wheel drive with a 91.3 kWh Blade battery.
The Blade battery uses lithium iron phosphate (LFP) as a cathode material, which has higher levels of safety and durability compared with conventional lithium-ion batteries, while also being 100% free of cobalt, the mining of which has raised ethical and environmental concerns.
LFP batteries are also more resistant to extreme temperatures, and can withstand more charge and discharge cycles with hardly any loss of capacity, so they should be more durable.
Unlike other EVs, the Blade battery is integrated into the vehicle structure, known as Cell-to-Body (CTB). The top cover of the pack also acts as the floor of the passenger compartment; using the battery pack as a structural component improves stiffness and enhances safety, and the floor remains relatively thin.
The SEALION 7 is based on the company’s e-Platform 3.0 vehicle architecture, a highly scalable vehicle platform which can be configured for front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive variants.
The rear motor can run at speeds of up to 23,000 rpm, making it the world’s fastest electric motor in mass production, delivering rapid acceleration and a high top speed while still using a single-speed gearbox. This motor sits at the rear in all models, producing 230 kW and 380 Nm of torque, and in the Design AWD and Excellence AWD models, this is joined by an additional 160 kW motor on the front axle, delivering all-wheel drive and a combined output of 390 kW and 690 Nm of torque.
The SEALION 7’s boot capacity is 520 litres, or 1,789 litres with the rear seats folded down. There’s also a 58-litre front trunk (‘frunk’) for storing charging cables.
The BYD SEALION 7 has a premium feel in terms of both its interior and its driving experience. It’s quiet and refined, no doubt helped by the double-layered laminated glass in the front doors, with comfortable ride quality. It also has rapid performance, with a 0-62 mph acceleration time of just 4.5 seconds in the case of the Excellence AWD model as tested.
All-wheel drive means that there’s lots of grip, and despite the 2,435 kg kerb weight, handling on the relatively short route of the launch event was impressive. Technology assists with both the ride and the handling. The SEALION 7 features Frequency Sensitive Dampers (FSD), providing variable suspension settings – soft for roads with potholes, or firm for smoother surfaces, helping to improve handling, and this is aided by a new Intelligent Torque Adaption Control (iTAC) system which allocates torque between the wheels as required.
The SEALION 7’s cabin features a 15.6-inch touchscreen which can rotate from landscape to portrait format, with satnav mapping that’s clearer than that of some rivals. There’s also a display in front of the driver, and a head-up display with Excellence AWD trim level. Most of the car controls are on the touchscreen, but not all; there’s a physical button to select the four drive modes: Eco, Normal, Sport and Snow, which is more user-friendly than having such controls buried in the touchscreen. Even the gear selector is a physical lever in the centre console.
Despite the controls on a variety of screens and a few physical buttons, BYD would like you to tell the SEALION 7 what you want it to do; the latest voice control system has four zones, and the car knows whether the voice commands are from the driver or a passenger.
The BYD SEALION 7 Excellence AWD with its 91.3 kWh battery has a WLTP combined electric driving range of up to 312 miles. It wasn’t possible to test the real-world range on the launch event. The rear-wheel drive Comfort spec delivers a WLTP combined range of 300 miles, and the all-wheel drive Design trim gives a range of 283 miles, both from the same 82.5 kWh battery. The SEALION 7 Excellence AWD model has electrical consumption of 2.8 miles/kWh.
The Excellence AWD trim delivers a maximum ultra-rapid DC charging rate of 230 kW, giving a 10% to 80% charge in just 24 minutes. Comfort and Design editions can be charged at up to 150 kW, allowing the battery to be topped up from 10% to 80% in 32 minutes.
All versions of the SEALION 7 get 11 kW three-phase AC charging as standard, as well as a heat pump, which BYD says is the industry’s first direct cooling and heating system for electric batteries, capable of operating in temperatures from -30°C to 60°C, and increasing thermal efficiency by up to 20%. The system uses residual heat from the whole vehicle to warm the cabin, increasing the range by up to 20% in cold weather, as well as cooling the cabin and the battery in warmer weather.
The SEALION 7 also has a vehicle to load (V2L) function, allowing it to power items of electrical equipment.
The BYD SEALION 7 Comfort RWD is priced at £46,990, Design AWD prices start at £51,990, and Excellence AWD prices are from £58,990.
There are four paint choices: Atlantis Grey, Indigo Grey, Polar White and Space Black (so not many colourful options).
All versions of the BYD SEALION 7 come with a six-year manufacturer’s warranty and eight years for the battery and electric motor.
The BYD SEALION 7 offers an excellent driving experience, with comfortable ride quality, together with impressive performance and reassuring levels of grip in Excellence AWD trim. The interior is spacious, it feels genuinely premium and features the latest technology. The driving range of 312 miles and ultra-rapid DC charging rate of 230 kW makes this a practical car to live with. The BYD SEALION 7 is awarded a Green Car Guide rating of 9 out of 10.
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