Is this first, exceptional BYD effort worth its premium?
Among a literal blizzard of new car brands to come steamrolling into South Africa in recent months, BYD is among the more intriguing. ‘Build Your Dreams’ claims to have mastered EV core technology, from batteries to electric motors; electronic controllers, to automotive-grade semiconductors. Founded in 2003, the aspirational multinational high-tech startup promises to leverage technological innovation for a better life.
China’s leading EV carmaker for 10 years now, BYD remains fully focussed on green transformation. Its plans for its range of pure electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles attracted the backing of the likes of Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger to build more than 30 industrial parks from China to the US, Canada, Japan, Brazil, Hungary, and India. And now BYD is available in South Africa.
This battery electric BYD Sealion 7 4.5S Performance EV packs the best of BYD’s cutting-edge ultra-fast charging and leading e-motor technology. Among the fastest mass produced electric motors on the planet, its dual V-magnets and flat wire winding deliver a most impressive 92% slot-fill rate and a 23,000 rpm rev limit. More on that anon.
BYD Sealion 7 packs truly leading tech
Boasting BYD’s 82.56 kWh Blade battery, Sealion 7 is said to Intelligently fast-charge from 20 to 80 percent within 30 minutes on a DC rapid-charger technology. To deliver up to 482 kilometres maximum WLTP range and allow for daily commuting for as many as ten days between charges.
Happy to recharge at rates from 150 kW, Sealion 7 comes with a 2.2 kW portable charger. We couldn’t hook it up with our regular South African Eskom home plug, however. Which means it could be a challenge away from the regular charging network. Which is about everywhere. Shouldn’t be an issue at home. Especially if you have a proper solar system to help charge it, because Sealion 7 comes with a 7 KW wall box charger.
All that said, Sealion 7, and any other EV’s biggest challenge in South Africa is our woefully inept charging infrastructure. Where we live, there’s no real facility within 25 kilometres. And that’s a dodgy 22 kW machine that fails to charge more than it does. The next one’s another 10 km away and it’s solar powered. So good luck to you if its cloudy! The 130 to 200 kW chargers that the Sealion 7 needs? Forget about it!
SA network is Biggest Sealion 7 drawback
It’s very different in Europe and other first world markets. There, every street corner and any freeway service station has an array of 130 to 200 kW chargers waiting for you. So you stop, sip your coffee and get back to 80% charge with a few hundred kilometres extra range a few minutes later. Don’t believe anything they tell you about the local charging network. There isn’t one. Which is the biggest EV challenge. Especially long distance.
So, getting back to our Sealion 7. Without a means to charge at our remote home for now, we could only drive it until there was enough range left to send it back. It’d gobbled up a whole heap of battery once we’d tested and then the range disappeared frighteningly consistently from there. So it stood for three days.
Simply put, there’s no way on earth that we’d manage those 483 WTLP kilometres. In fact even 380 km would be a challenge. And that in conditions where petrol and diesel cars regularly beat makers’ claims. So let’s rather call that six days between charges for local commuting.
Sealion 7 is quick though. Super quick!
It’s quick though. Super quick. BYD claims of 4.5 seconds from zero to 100 km/h in this Performance edition. Moving on to a 215 km/h top speed. The Auto Test proves it a significant ten percent quicker at 4.11 seconds, though. Which means its quicker than the 4.44 second Volvo XC40 Recharge, 5.45 sec BMW iX1 and Mercedes EQB at 5.80 sec
Sealion 7’s Cell-to-Body shell delivers outstanding stiffness, stability and cabin space. Ride is quite exceptional. It masks it’s weight better than a Mercedes EQ and matches that car in ride quality too. Although we wouldn’t say it’s quite up to a BMW. Which is actually a hell of a compliment all on its own.
Effortless and futuristic, the BYD Sealion 7 Performance EV coupe SUV also delivers a surprisingly adept and user-friendly driving environment. BYD promises unexpected space, luxury and versatility in spite of that rakish roof-line. To be honest, it delivers in spades to see this Chinaman even rival the best of the Germans.
Can Chinese luxury rival the best Germans?
The large floating and landscape-to-portrait rotating 15.6-inch CarPlay and Auto touchscreen dominates the cabin. BYD’s interface is the best yet from the ever-improving Chinese. Although only some Chinese skunkworks will ever know what certain of those obscure acronyms mean. The 12-speaker Dynaudio system is great, while the large 500 litre boot and 58 litre frunk add practicality.
All of which we think is most impressive. In fact, until now, like all EVs in SA, this car’s only real issue is handed to it by a useless and woefully underdeveloped local charging infrastructure. But there’s another elephant in the room. And that starts at the end of BYD’s handy little media release…
“BYD models will be available across eight showrooms in South Africa. BYD will continue to expand and strengthen its sales and after-sales network, ensuring a superior ownership experience with comprehensive support and service.” All very well and good, considering that there’s a BMW or Merc dealership on just about every corner. But that’s not the whole point.
Would you pay that much for a Chinese EV?
Chinese cars have rapidly become known as ridiculous bargains. Cars that offer spec and attractions at a third, a half or even more off, yet still match their traditional rivals at most all things. Which makes the risk of buying an unknown brand with a stunted, if growing dealer body, parts and service backup, worth the risk.
Not BYD, however. They want 1.3 million rand for the Sealion 7. That’s two-hundred kay more than a Volvo XC30, fifty grand up on a BMW iX1, is as much a Volvo XC40 Recharge and about R100K off a Merc EQB. Will the market spend as much on an unknown, less-supported and unproven Chinese startup car, than it will on a hugely respected top brand that even your grandfather once strived to own?
That’s our only real question mark. Does BYD warrant the unlikely premium it wants for its cars? And will it ever? We’ll leave that for you to decide for yourself. Because the car itself, is very good indeed. – Michele Lupini
Images & testing: Giordano Lupini
ROAD TESTED: BYD Sealion 7 4.5S Performance EV
Motor: 390 kW 690 Nm electric
Drive: Direct AWD
Battery: 83 kWh Blade lithium iron phosphate
TESTED:
0-60 km/h: 1.99sec
0-100 km/h: 4.15 sec
0-120 km/h: 5.84 sec
0-160 km/h: 10.63 sec
400m: 12.6 sec @ 172 km/h
80-120 km/h: 2.94 sec
120-160 km/h: 4.79 sec
CLAIMED:
VMax: 215 km/h
Energy Use: 21.2 kWh//100 km
CO2: 0 g/km local
Range: 500 km
Warranty: 5y 100K km
LIST PRICE: R1.299M
How does it compare?
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