Bad news for the autonomy of the BYD Sea Lion 7, the new competitor to the Tesla Model Y

Since its arrival in Europe last year, BYD has managed to carve out a good place for itself in the automobile market, although the manufacturer still remains behind Tesla in the ranking of best sellers. But the firm could soon overtake its rival, having already become number 1 in China recently.

Up to 500 kilometers of autonomy

Here, the Shenzhen-based company already markets several models, from the Dolphin to the Seal, including the Seal U. And now it has just lifted the veil on another car, the Sea Lion 7. occasion of the last Paris Motor Show. But at that time, almost no technical information had been communicated by the manufacturer, which remained relatively quiet on its electric SUV. For the record, the latter hunts in particular on the lands of the Tesla Model Y.

Fortunately, the wait is finally over, since the journalists of the British site Autocar have managed to get their hands on the figures concerning this newcomer. This is based on an improved version of la base technique e-Platform 3.0 Evowhich also equips the Atto 3 SUV, among others. And now we know the performance of this new arrival in the catalog, which is available in three very distinct versions. The first is called Comfort, but this could change in the French catalog.

It has a single engine, and therefore a propulsion architecture, displaying a power of 312 horsepower for a torque of 379 Nm. Which allows it to go from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.7 seconds. This version is entitled to an 82.5 kWh Blade LFP (lithium – iron – phosphate) battery, which allows a range of approximately 482 kilometers. A value undoubtedly expressed according to the WLTP cycle. For comparison, the Tesla Model Y is limited to 455 kilometers in its entry-level version, but with a much smaller battery, around 60 kWh. Which suggests high consumption for BYD.

The BYD Sea Lion 7 is also available in another version, called Design, which has the right to an additional engine at the front, for a total power of 530 horsepower and 690 Nm of torque. Enough to achieve 0 to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds, while the autonomy drops to 455 kilometers, since the battery does not change. We are then very far from the Model Y and its 565 kilometers in its all-wheel drive version.

Deliveries next year

That’s not all, because a final variation completes the range. If it uses the configuration of the Design version with its 530 horsepower, it does, however, have the right to a larger 91.3 kWh battery. Which allows it to travel up to 502 kilometers on a single charge. This is enough to reassure drivers, but it remains well below what its American rival offers, which reaches 600 kilometers in its High Autonomy Propulsion version.

On the recharging side, it is not miraculous either, since you have to count between 24 and 32 minutes to go from 10 to 80% depending on the version chosen, with a maximum power of 230 kW in direct current. Compare with Teslas, which take between 20 and 30 minutes to complete the same exercise. However, it is the BYD electric car that recharges the fastest.

However, you should know that the SUV comes standard with a heat pump, making it possible to reduce consumption a little in winter. It also has the right to bidirectional charging, with a power of 3.3 kW. It remains to be seen whether the car has autonomous driving.

On board, we know that she carries a large 15.6 inch touch screenbut BYD has not confirmed whether it is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It is associated with a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster. The trunk volume is included between 520 and 1789 liters.

The first deliveries of the new Sea Lion 7 are expected next year in the United Kingdom, a date which should be more or less the same for France. The price should turn around 45,000 eurosbut the car will not be eligible for the ecological bonus with us.