BYD Sealion 7 EV Charging Cable

Three trims and two batteries

Comfort rear-wheel-drive and Design all-wheel-drive use 82.5 kWh, quoted at 300 and 283 miles, with 150 kW DC charging and a ten to eighty stop of 32 minutes. Excellence all-wheel-drive steps up to 91.3 kWh for 312 miles and takes 230 kW on DC, cutting the stop to 24 minutes. An independent test measured 173 kW as the average rate to eighty per cent on that version, which is unusually close to the headline.

All three share the charge port position and the AC charger, so the cable decision is identical across the range.

The home figure is on the record here

Here the single phase rate is actually on record at 7.0 kW, sitting next to the 11 kW three phase number in the technical data with its own charge time. That is rarer than it sounds, and it puts the car a fraction below what a 32A cable can deliver.

The technical data prints both times for each version, which is what makes this solid. The 82.5 kWh cars take 810 minutes on one phase against 516 on three; the 91.3 kWh Excellence takes 894 against 576. Those are real published figures rather than a database's arithmetic, and the single phase column is the one that applies to a British house. It is a shade below the 7.4 kW a 32A cable carries, so the lead has headroom rather than the car straining against it.

How long a full charge takes

Hours come from dividing the pack by the power the car actually draws, with 13 per cent added for losses. Miles per hour is worked at a conservative 3.5 miles per kWh. Columns are the 82.5 kWh Comfort and Design and the 91.3 kWh Excellence. The home row uses the declared 7.0 kW rather than a cable maximum.

Fifteen hours from empty on the larger pack is the kind of figure that only ever appears in a table. In practice the Sealion 7 adds about 25 miles an hour on a driveway, which is a night's charging for a week's commuting.

Which length for a Sealion 7

Look for the socket on the offside rear quarter panel. It is the conventional place for a filler cap, so it is where most owners expect it, and it rewards backing into a space.

At 4.83 metres this is a large SUV with the socket at the back, which pushes the answer towards a longer cable. Ten metres is the default. Fifteen suits a charge point at the far end of a driveway or on the opposite wall of a garage, and five metres only works where you reverse in and the wall box is beside that rear corner. Take a tape measure to the run, inlet to charge point, and add a couple of metres before choosing.

How these cables are built

It is made to IEC 62196-2, CE marked, and sealed to IP55 across a -30C to +50C temperature range.

On the three pin side the standard is IEC 62752, with CE marking, IP67 sealing and a -30C to +60C range. Warranty is two years from the manufacturer, delivery free next working day, returns accepted for 30 days.

Also from BYD: BYD Atto 2 EV Charging Cable. The full range of BYD charging cables is on one page. For a wall box or public post the lead is the Type 2 to Type 2 charging cable.

BYD Sealion 7 charging cable questions

What cable does a Sealion 7 need?

A 32A single phase Type 2 to Type 2 cable, on Comfort, Design and Excellence alike.

How fast does a Sealion 7 charge at home?

7.0 kW, and that is BYD's own declared single phase figure rather than an estimate. It works out at about fourteen hours for the 82.5 kWh cars and fifteen for the 91.3 kWh Excellence.

Is the Excellence worth it for charging?

On rapid chargers, yes: 230 kW against 150 kW, and a 24 minute stop rather than 32. At home the two are the same speed and the Excellence simply takes an hour longer because the battery is bigger.

Where is the charge socket?

Offside rear quarter panel on every trim, in the fuel-filler position.