Took my BYD Seal AWD to Olds Motorplex (dragstrip north of Calgary) last weekend for their EV vs ICE grudge race night. Here's what happened.
The Setup:
My car: BYD Seal AWD. Stock. 390kW dual motor. Claimed 0-100 is 3.8 seconds.
Theirs: 2022 Ford Mustang GT. Mildly modded — cold air intake, tune. Around 450-470hp.
The Result:
I won. Twice. Not even close on the first run. The Seal launches differently — that instant torque just catapults it off the line before the Mustang even builds boost.
My ET: 12.3 seconds at 114mph (trap speed)
Mustang: 13.1 at 109mph
The Mustang driver was genuinely shocked. He's been running that car for 2 years and this is the first time he's lost at a test-and-tune night to a Chinese sedan that looks like it belongs in a business park parking lot.
Observations:
- The Seal's launch control works brilliantly — hold brake, floor throttle, let go
- Battery was at 85% for both runs, no heat soak issues on a cold Alberta day
- The stability control tried to intervene slightly on run 2 — nothing major
- No issues with the car after; it drove home on the highway perfectly normally
Would I daily this car and also drag race it? Absolutely. That's the whole point.
Who else has done any performance testing with their Chinese EV?
