Photo: Skywell (edited by autoevolution)
With the economic future of Great Britain more in doubt than it's been since World War II, what Britians need more than anything is not fancy luxury EVs but rather plucky, affordable ones that people actually want to buy. But is the Chinese EV maker Skywell the team that rises to the occasion? The unveiling of the all-new BE11 seems to suggest that's what they're trying.
To fill a gap just underneath Tesla Model Ys and entry-level Eurocentric EVs from VW Group, BMW, and Stellantis group, the BE11 takes a mid-to-large-sized crossover SUV form factor people in the West are well familiar with and gives it a price that Skywell hopes attracts the British public away from domestic European EVs. All in favor of ostensibly more competitively-priced Chinese offerings. At the Everything Electric Show in the English town of Harrogate, presenter and EV expert Rob Llewellyn showcased a stylish and well-proportioned EV with roughly the same dimensions as a Porsche Macan or Mercedes-Benz GLC.
With proportions that lend well to British towns and cities, a suite of features at least at parity with traditional European and Japanese electric SUVs and a drive train to match are essential items for the BE11 to succeed in Britain. With this in mind, Skywell laid out a comprehensive set of features that, at least on the surface, don't look like typical Chinese imported hardware, as you might've come to expect if you've seen slightly older domestic models online. Starting with a 72kWh or 86kWh
NMC lithium-ion battery as the foundation, the BE11 delivers the equivalent of roughly 201 horsepower or 150 kW.
With 320 Nm (236.01 lb-ft) of torque to play with, a sprint from zero to 100 kph of 9.6 seconds isn't going to impress anyone. Then again, it's still generally in line with EVs from more familiar automakers like Nissan and BMW, who produce EV SUVs in this segment both in Europe and North America. With a maximum range of 248 or 304 miles, depending on the battery option, most inter-country travel between England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland should be doable without having to charge again on the journey.
With interior features like a 360-degree panoramic parking camera, radar-guided intelligent cruise assist, and all the same driver-assist features we've come to expect from Western vehicles, the surface-level details appear to show a fairly reasonable parity with more established automakers when it comes to the level of features. Though pricing information isn't available yet, a press release from the brand touts the future MSRP as "extremely competitive" compared to European and Japanese brands that Skywell will have to compete for market share with. In a future paradigm that surely features Chinese EVs, it's anyone's guess whether Skywell has the refinement on hand to match its rivals. The answer remains to be seen.
With proportions that lend well to British towns and cities, a suite of features at least at parity with traditional European and Japanese electric SUVs and a drive train to match are essential items for the BE11 to succeed in Britain. With this in mind, Skywell laid out a comprehensive set of features that, at least on the surface, don't look like typical Chinese imported hardware, as you might've come to expect if you've seen slightly older domestic models online. Starting with a 72kWh or 86kWh
NMC lithium-ion battery as the foundation, the BE11 delivers the equivalent of roughly 201 horsepower or 150 kW.
With 320 Nm (236.01 lb-ft) of torque to play with, a sprint from zero to 100 kph of 9.6 seconds isn't going to impress anyone. Then again, it's still generally in line with EVs from more familiar automakers like Nissan and BMW, who produce EV SUVs in this segment both in Europe and North America. With a maximum range of 248 or 304 miles, depending on the battery option, most inter-country travel between England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland should be doable without having to charge again on the journey.
With interior features like a 360-degree panoramic parking camera, radar-guided intelligent cruise assist, and all the same driver-assist features we've come to expect from Western vehicles, the surface-level details appear to show a fairly reasonable parity with more established automakers when it comes to the level of features. Though pricing information isn't available yet, a press release from the brand touts the future MSRP as "extremely competitive" compared to European and Japanese brands that Skywell will have to compete for market share with. In a future paradigm that surely features Chinese EVs, it's anyone's guess whether Skywell has the refinement on hand to match its rivals. The answer remains to be seen.
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