Andrew Dwyer

It’s that time again, can already see around Ayutthaya some signs of flooding. The 2 rivers converging at Wat Phanan Choeng are at a high level but a ways off requiring the flood barriers to be lifted, but that can change quickly if water is released up North !! @Crossy, hopefully you have made some alterations since last year ??

I get the impression that the front air con air vents on the Seal can swing like a home air con, not sure if horizontally, vertically or both ?? If that’s true that’s a great idea !! Or has it been around for a while and i just haven’t ventured into the price bracket, that has these luxury options, before ??

Anyone remember what make of tyres on the BYD Seal ? I forgot to look.

Yes, his wife developed cancer and he came here for quite a while for treatment, asked for donations and his subscribers helped him out quickly. Initially I didn’t like the guy but now I watch him occasionally, he certainly gets the latest news quickly …. but doesn’t always get it right.

That could well be true, it might not be stronger but as it brings you to a full stop it gives the impression. Or the regen modes are not as strong on my HEV and one pedal is stronger. I did start off on the lowest regen level ( being a regen noobie ), skipped the mid level and went straight to high, saw a definite increase in strength and then went one pedal, felt an increase in strength but could be as I said above. I might go back to high regen at some point to see if i can determine any change in strength or is it just length of braking. I did try to Google the difference between regen and one pedal but there’s a lot of different explanations , one stated that one pedal only uses 20% of braking power but didn’t relate to any car in particular. My manual gives an explanation but no percentages.

Yes, it is only a theory, on the highway my favourite is leaving a reasonable stopping distance only for someone to slip into the gap as if you created it for them and then braking sharply !! Sometimes I consider driving in the left hand lane as it is empty due to the uneven surface caused by trucks but then a couple of pickups, doing slalom practice, come along pumping out black smoke and I forget the idea.

Yes, the difference imo is one pedal is a stronger regen that brings the car to a full stop and means in theory you should never need to touch the brake.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but that’s not one pedal, it’s 3 levels of regen.

I’m with NatWest hold a healthy balance and make regular transactions, as far as they are aware I am living here and there. Whether this means I am safe from the account closures …… to quote Eff1n2ret ……. who knows?

Yes, if you don’t want to use regen or one pedal then there’s no requirement, just turn them off. But, i think most EV users will use some level of regen as it is generating “ free “ battery energy. A youtuber reckons his battery energy is created 75% by charging and 25% from regen and had some data to back that up. As macahoom says above, on the MG you can change the regen levels to suit your driving, for example: low while highway driving and high around town and coming down a mountain etc My regen/one pedal settings are buried so i just leave it on one pedal. Also if I have to brake harder than usual then i just use the foot brake as normal, one pedal will then continue active when I drive off again. I guess one pedal is basically the typical amount of braking used daily , regen is less so additional physical braking is required.

It’s only what happens with regen to varying degrees depending on the setting you use, although regen doesn’t bring it to a full stop. The motor brakes not the brake pads/rotors in case you were wondering. One pedal is disengaged in cruise control.

Yes

As stated earlier I can confirm that the Seal doesn’t come with the video recorder ( built in dash cam ) as included with Atto 3, asked at my local Auto Show. The Show just had the Performance Seal in Velocity Blue, + a Dolphin, disappointing as I wanted to check out the Space Gray colour. I did have a look at the Aion Y Plus and although I don’t care for the looks of the car they put on a good showing. Emphasis on the ability to sleep inside with the front seats laid back flat and an air bed installed. The boot space initially looks standard but lift up the 2 level boot floor and it reveals a very deep space with an emergency spare included. It also has the longest rear legroom of any car I have seen, it’s like a London taxi !!

My HEV has one pedal and indeed if used correctly there’s no need to touch the brakes, it all depends on timing the lift off the accelerator correctly. ( i get it wrong occasionally ) Think of it as a stronger regen setting, I have 3 of those also but as discussed previously they are buried in the info screen ( unlike MG ) so once set you tend to leave it set. Takes a little bit of getting used to and as i have 4 speed bumps before I exit the moobahn i learned about the restricted coasting quickly. As i also mentioned before, the brake lights don’t illuminate, on my car at least, until you have come to a complete stop and in stop/start or slow moving traffic it doesn’t give the car behind much of a head’s up that you have stopped. I use it purely for gas economy, in an EV i would probably just revert to the highest regen.

Thanks for that, saves me asking at the Ayutthaya Autoshow today. I suspect the lack of sound and somewhat questionable resolution has rendered it extinct. No doubt owners will continue to buy the cameras from online sites and diy irrespective of any warranty issues as per Dolphin.

Hopefully battery technology has moved on and safety is improved . My current car has the 12v battery in the boot with the hybrid battery but restricts storage space, under the rear seat is logical as is wasted space ignoring the lack of access and , some might say !, safety issue.

Okay, just to clarify what I was talking about the Seal 12v battery location, it is under the rear seat ( behind the passenger ).

I saw a FB post yesterday ( cannot find it now ) with a schematic showing the location and a couple of photos. It certainly looked to be under the rear seat and there was an access panel, not sure if access is from the front or rear of the seat although I would imagine it has to be from the front. Just re-read your post and it seems to be about the main ( EV ) battery which is in the normal BYD location ( between the axles and danger of flood damage, I was talking about the 12v battery.

Some might be wondering how to gain access to the low voltage battery on the BYD Seal with the front compartment completely sealed ( pun intended ) with the frunk ? Well the battery is actually located under the rear seats, not sure how accessible it is . If connection to another vehicle’s battery is necessary for starting there is facility in the frunk compartment or a push button inside the driver’s door to facilitate starting. I suggest prospective buyers, and I include myself here, to educate themselves on these procedures before venturing too far. refer pages 100 and 197 of this European manual for clarification: https://www.bydauto.nl/app/uploads/2023/09/BYD-SEAL-Owner_s-Manual-Left-hand-Drive.pdf

Thanks, good to know. I do see a lot of people “diying” the video recorder and electric tailgate into the Dolphin, likewise many fitting the kick sensor to the Atto 3, wonder if they are aware of any possible warranty issues.

Yes the lack of sound is annoying and i have also seen reports that the resolution is not as good as some after market dash cams. A shame BYD haven’t ( apparently ) resolved these two things for a premium car like the Seal. While it is easy to purchase a good quality dash cam it means it will have the cable trailing down to the plug, unless hard wired, as no usb socket behind rear view mirror like MG and GWM. Seems like BYD missed an opportunity to improve the video recorder quality and add to the list of new tech.

The video I saw shows that the cable is already installed and it is just a question of removing the cover, plugging the cable in, snapping the camera into position, rebooting the system and you are good to go. Many have fit them already as readily available from Lazada, Shopee and AliExpress. Not doubting the sales person told you this but i would like to get a second opinion. Seems a bit harsh when all parts are already there for fitting. Wonder why the decision to remove the camera was made ? I suspect it might be a similar case for the Seal as the camera housing looks the same as on Atto 3 but no mention of the video recorder in any of the info or videos i have seen. @Bandersnatch , maybe you could ask the void warranty question if it turns out a recorder is not fitted ?

Yup, EV’s are evolving so fast they have become like the iPhone, or any other advance in technology for that matter, you just get used to the new toy and an updated version comes along !!

Yup, a few desperate souls out there after taking a look at Seal. Here’s one asking 1.1 million with 20k on the clock. But he has put every accessory going : sidestep, spoiler, black roof , ceramic coating, 15.6” screen, Frunk and gas struts, kick sensor and wheels and tyres !!

Here’s someone asking for an Atto in white or gray, low mileage, good condition. Plenty of replies to this post and others wanting to sell, all around the 1.0 to 1.1 million mark which is a bit hopeful I think.