Chinese electric car manufacturer BYD has announced that the new Seal U electric SUV will be coming to the UK. The company has already launched the Atto 3 SUV, Dolphin hatchback and the Seal saloon car. The new Seal U will be a larger SUV and will be coming to the UK at some stage. The car, given the name shares a lot with the Seal saloon car with similar styling and specs.
The Seal U has yet to be fully finalised for the UK market, so some specifications may or may not change beforehand. However, underneath we find the option for two batteries, 77kWh or 87kWh and this comes direct from BYD in-house, using the patented Blade battery technology, which is LPF. (BYD also provide batteries to Tesla and LPF is significantly safer than lithium-ion. Plus it doesn’t use cobalt).
Both battery packs use the same motor, a 218bhp unit which is capable of launching the car from 0-60mph in 9.3 seconds in the smaller pack and 9.6 seconds in the larger. Charging is pretty quick too, with 30 minutes to get from 30-80%. There is a very small, one minute difference in charging speeds between the two battery packs.
Inside, BYD have used their iconic rotational touchscreen on the dashboard, this time being a 15.6-inch unit – the same as the Seal saloon.
No prices have been revealed yet, but expect prices from £38,000 for the smaller pack. The Seal U will be publicly revealed in September at the Munic Motor Show.
