Govind Tekale
The Seagull battery electric car from BYD marks an inflection point in the EV revolution. The moment in time when the world of transportation transitioned to battery-electric vehicles as the new normal may have been the Seagull.
A 4-passenger hatchback, the Seagull is slightly larger than a Fiat 500 and a little shorter than a MINI Cooper. Priced under $11,000 in China, the Seagull is less expensive than the gas-powered Honda Fit. The first EV that doesn’t have to apologize for its sticker price is the Seagull.
The new EV has a single electric motor with 75 hp (55 kW) and 135 Nm of torque driving the front wheels. A top speed of 130 km/h and acceleration from 0 to 50 km/h taking 4.9 seconds mark the Seagull. Another feature of the Seagull is that it is available with 2BYD Blade battery packs (30.08 kwh or 38.88 kWh).
With a smaller battery pack, the car has a range of 305km (190 miles), while a larger battery gives a range of 405 km (251 miles). 30 minutes are enough for both battery packs to be recharged from 30% to 80% SOC using a fast charger.
The plan for BYD is to offer the Seagull later this year with a sodium-ion battery pack. $13,000 is the top price for the Seagull, fully loaded with every available option. 16,383 units of Wuling Bingo were delivered by SGMW in April,including 522 cars delivered in March.
The Wuling Bingo car is a 5-door, 4-seater with front-wheel drive. Bingo consists of a 30 kW or 50 kW motor with 110 Nm or 150 Nm peak torque, respectively. The LFP battery of Bingo has 17.3 kWh or 31.9 kWh options, which are good for 203 km or 333 km of CLTC range, respectively.
Wuling Bingo’s price ranges from 58,800 to 83,800 yuan. The Seagull’s cabin comes with a twin screen divided into a 7″ instrument panel and a 10.25″ infotainment screen. A city car aimed at young folks, the Seagull has an optional inflatable mattress in the rear part.
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The Seagull would likely be shunned by Americans due to its small size and limited seating capacity. Despite every SUV featuring a hatch, US customers have an aversion to hatchbacks. The demand in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South and Central America, India, Japan, Australia, and Asia is for small, efficient cars.
Nothing is said about the export of the seagull by BYD. Based on BYD’s SE-platform 3.0 and falling under the Ocean series,the Seagull also includes the dolphin and the seal. The price of the Seagull may drop further if it comes with a sodium-ion battery pack, although range will probably drop as well.
One of the first affordable EVs, BYD’s Seagull can take people back and forth to work, haul some groceries, go to the beach, and generally fulfill the duties of a passenger car without leaving any pollutants in its wake.
The Seagull offers a good balance of performance, range, and price, which could make it a game-changer in the EV market.
