Latest news with #Skywell
Top Gear
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Buy Skywell BE11 Price, PPC or HP
Buying What should I be paying? Nada. Let's be clear, the only kind of cash you should be handing over for this car is Monopoly money. And even then you'd be better off spending it on a hotel on Old Kent Road. But hypothetically, let's say you decide to buy one of these. You have free will, after all. The Standard Range one is £32,995 and the Long Range is £35,995. There are no optional extras, but you've a choice of four paint colours: white, grey, black and blue. Estonian flag vibes. Advertisement - Page continues below Is that value for money? Not as far as we're concerned. Comparable SUVs like the Skoda Enyaq, Renault Scenic, Nissan Ariya and Peugeot e-3008 are all a bit more expensive and a tad smaller than the BE11, so if you want to come up with some price-to-space metric in the Skywell's favour then don't let us stop you. But those cars also promise more range and are vastly more talented in a variety of different ways. We think the minimal extra outlay is worth it. Message received loud and clear. Any decent kit, at least? Loads. Standard features include that 12.8in touchscreen, an eight-speaker Metz sound system, wireless phone charging and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, automatic air con, front and rear parking sensors plus a reversing camera and 360-degree overhead view, cruise control, keyless entry, LED headlights, a panoramic sunroof, 19in diamond cut alloy wheels, and an electric tailgate. No heated seats or steering wheel. You'll miss those in the winter months, and full reliance on the heater will be an extra burden on the battery and overall range. Advertisement - Page continues below Hilariously though, you do get hill descent control. Because greenlaning is exactly what you'll be doing in a car flummoxed by gentle bends and mild camber. Anything else? Notice how we haven't moaned about ADAS? Because Skywell got the BE11's red tape sorted a couple of years ago, things like steering assist and speed limit warning aren't legally required. And it's actually quite refreshing to drive a new car that doesn't try to interfere every five seconds. On the other hand, active safety systems are there for a reason, and beyond a smattering of air bags there isn't much on the kit list to suggest it'll match its European rivals' five-star Euro NCAP ratings.
Top Gear
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Skywell BE11 Driving, Engines & Performance
Driving What is it like to drive? Sinfully underwhelming. It just about manages to go, stop and turn on command, thus doing the bare minimum to qualify as a 'car'. But ask anything more of it and you might as well be asking a dolphin to operate a forklift truck. The BE11's shortcomings boil down to the ride and the powertrain. It gets MacPherson struts on the front axle and multi-link suspension at the rear: that should be an assuring combo, but its behaviour is so basic it makes you wonder if Skywell did any setup work at all beyond just bolting it onto the frame. Advertisement - Page continues below The body doesn't wallow in corners, but you get jiggled laterally and longitudinally. All the time. Undulating roads cause it to pogo along like a merry-go-round. Handling-wise, it's vague and distant, with numb steering and a chassis that simply doesn't want to engage. Judge your speed well (translation: slow right down) and very occasionally the Skywell will corner predictably, but more often than not you'll find yourself tugging at the wheel to correct your trajectory, upsetting the ride (again) in the process. Fluid this is not. Crumbs. And the powertrain? Mildly infuriating, unfortunately. 201bhp sounds like plenty but the BE11's motor is entirely pedestrian, even lacking the 0-30mph chops that make most electric cars perky in urban areas. Venture out onto the open road and it's got just enough oomph to get by (0-62mph in 9.6 seconds is slow, but not glacial), but this isn't a car that belongs in the outside lane unless it's mid-way through a traffic jam. More annoying is how easy it is to spin the wheels, especially when you're waiting at a junction with a bit of lock on. You only have to prod the accelerator for the grip to momentarily vanish, making you look like a berk with lead feet. Can't be good for tyre life either. Advertisement - Page continues below Worst of all though is how lazy it is. Press the throttle, pause, then the power comes. Same for the regen: lift off, wait… then the braking force kicks in. What it gives you is always at odds with what you want from it. Ostensibly there are Sport and Comfort modes, but they don't seem to do anything. That's pants. Now you're going to tell me the range is diabolical, aren't you? No, actually. We saw 3.3mi/kWh during our test drive, which points to a theoretical range of more than 280 miles against a claim of 304 from the bigger 86kWh battery. The BE11 had warm weather and gentle country roads on its side, so we'd expect that figure to fall significantly on a longer motorway run or in colder conditions. The bigger issue is the charging speed: both the Standard and Long Range versions are capped at 80kW, so the promise of a 0-80 per cent top-up in 1h 10m and 1h 23m apiece falls well short of what we've become used to from mainstream EVs that'll have you on your way again in half an hour. Plug in at home and a full charge will be an overnight job. Nothing wrong with that – 11kW AC is pretty conventional. Highlights from the range the fastest 150kW Long Range 86kWh 5dr Auto 0-62 9.6s CO2 0 BHP 201.2 MPG Price £39,940 the cheapest 150kW Standard Range 72kWh 5dr Auto 0-62 9.6s CO2 0 BHP 201.2 MPG Price £36,940 the greenest 150kW Long Range 86kWh 5dr Auto 0-62 9.6s CO2 0 BHP 201.2 MPG Price £39,940
Top Gear
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Skywell BE11 Interior Layout & Technology
Interior What is it like on the inside? The execution of the cabin is the best part of the car. Not that there aren't several things wrong with it, but you can sit in the front seats and convince yourself it's a nice place to be. Even some established carmakers struggle to do that consistently. The interior looks well screwed together, with fake wood panels spanning the dashboard and doors, and contrast orange stitching just about pulling the leather seats back from the brink of 'dull'. There's lots of imitation leather that's actually soft-touch plastic, and liberal use of (also fake) chrome isn't our favourite gambit. But Skywell isn't the first to play that card and it won't be the last either. Advertisement - Page continues below The raised centre console eats into the sense of space up front, but the layout of the drive selector, e-parking brake and storage isn't too busy. And the armrest storage is cooled! So far so good. The touchscreen looks decent. It does. It's a 12.8-incher, boasting much LCD goodness. It's a shame the menu tabs aren't well defined, so it's hard to find what you're looking for; the layout in general is bamboozling. Defeat successfully snatched from the jaws of victory. The climate controls are on a permanent bar at the bottom of the screen. We laughed at the Scandi background pic given the various other echoes of Volvo, but you can change it to something else if you want. Meanwhile the 12.3in driver display is badly laid out and looks like it's from a different decade to the touchscreen. Weird. Let's not talk about the 'scrollers' on the steering wheel: they, er, don't actually scroll. Ugh. Quick, turn the radio on and distract yourself with the (commendably rich) eight-speaker audio. Advertisement - Page continues below How is it in the back? The rear's pretty roomy, but there's not much under-seat space to stretch out and wiggle your toes. And the seats themselves are quite firm and quite flat, so not ideal for longer trips. There's two USB ports back there (versus one up front) and a 10A socket, albeit one that'll need an adaptor to fit a UK plug. Boot space weighs in at 467 litres, which is at the lower end of what we tend to see from contenders in this segment. Knock the rear bench down and load capacity climbs to 1,141 litres.
Top Gear
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Skywell BE11 Review 2025
It's what you get when you cross a bus manufacturer with an electronics firm. No, it really is. Back in 2017, China's Golden Dragon Bus Company and Skyworth – makers of TVs and set-top boxes – decided for reasons unknown to pool resources and have a crack at making cars. As you do. And lo, Skywell was born. Supposedly, a hatchback, van and saloon will land in the UK at some point, but of course the first interloper is the BE11: a mid-size electric SUV whose dimensions plonk it in the same arena contested by the Skoda Enyaq, Renault Scenic, Nissan Ariya, Peugeot e-3008 and Toyota bZ4X. Advertisement - Page continues below Er, it hasn't really got one. No ludicrous quad-motor power, no touchscreen that spins like a clown's dickie bow, it's all rather… normal. The BE11 is front-wheel drive and powered by a 201bhp electric motor that peaks at 236lb ft at 4,200rpm. 0-62mph is seen off in just under 10 seconds and eventually you'll top out at 92mph. Two versions are offered: one with a 72kWh battery that claims 248 miles of e-range, or a meatier 86kWh unit that breaches 300 miles WLTP. Those weigh 1,880 and 1,930kg apiece. In total, we mean. Not just the batteries. Gosh, painting by numbers. It's like you're stuck for things to say about it. You've hit the nail on the head. We've gotten so used to gimmicks (see the Leapmotor C10's 'picnic area' mode) from that part of the world that a Chinese car without one feels incomplete, somehow. Wot, no gullwing doors programmed to do the YMCA ? Advertisement - Page continues below Even the design is notably unnoteworthy, going for generic and inoffensive instead of the fussy, overwrought look of the Lotus Eletre and so many others that call China home. Fail to look twice and you might think a Volvo EX40 has just swept by. Speaking of Sweden's finest, it's almost like Skywell's designers Googled 'Volvo interior' in search of inspiration for the BE11's cabin. Everything from the wood-effect panelling to the sculpted seats to the literal Scandi background on the touchscreen would look right at home in a V90 . If this sounds like criticism, it's not meant to: who better to copy when it comes to interior execution? Well, quite. Is it any good to drive? Hey look over there! A kestrel! Don't try to change the subject. Okay fine. The Skywell BE11 isn't good to drive. In fact, it's so not good to drive we'd actively encourage you away from it and into any other mode of transport, including a space hopper filled with rusty nails or a pedalo dragging a heavy anchor. Yes, even for road use. The powertrain is feeble and sluggish, and yet the tyres are easily overwhelmed. The ride is firm, but you'll still be tossed back and forth and side to side on anything but perfect surfaces. There's no feel in the steering whatsoever, apart from just off centre where you can sense the dead travel not doing anything. It'll hold a steady line through a corner, but only if you get the entry right. If not, understeer o'clock. Other than that though… you'll find the full version of this mini rant over on the Driving tab. Oh dear. So it's a cheap knock-off? Who said anything about cheap? The small batteried BE11 is £33k and the big one's £36k. That's less than any of the cars mentioned above, but not loads less. This is on a different planet to Dacia or MG levels of value; a smaller, vastly more desolate planet. At least those two understand that being priced low isn't an excuse for not having any redeeming features. It follows a pattern among Chinese imports lately, in that they'll undercut the opposition by a few grand, but not by enough to actually make you think seriously about buying one. The sacrifice in quality and ability just isn't worth it. Add in the anonymous brand identity, and you've got a really tough sell. 'It's hard to see why anyone bothered to bring it here. It simply isn't good enough' If the Skywell BE11 isn't the worst electric car we've ever driven (and that's a hotly contested title) it's almost certainly the worst you can pay legitimate human currency for at this moment in time. It's that bad. Not only is it dynamically hopeless and devoid of any sense of pleasure, there's virtually nothing to it that'd actually make you want to own one. You can point to individual bits that aren't bad – the interior finish, perhaps – but it falls so far short in so many departments that it's hard to see why anyone bothered to bring it here. It simply isn't good enough. If it were priced as a pocket-change runabout that cost peanuts to run you might see a case for an EV this spacious if it had the sole job of getting from A to B. If A and B weren't very far apart. But it isn't, so you won't. Avoid, avoid, avoid.
Gulf Business
26-02-2025
- Automotive
- Gulf Business
Green taxis: ‘Hala EV' sees 4 new models enter fleet
Image: Supplied The move aligns with Dubai's broader ambition to convert all taxis to hybrid or hydrogen-powered vehicles by 2027. As part of the initiative, Hala is integrating four new electric vehicle (EV) models — BYD, Skywell, GAC Emkoo, and Tesla — into its fleet, bringing the total number of EV taxis close to 500. The rollout will initially cover high-demand areas, including Dubai Marina, JLT, JBR, Palm Jumeirah, and Al Barsha. 'The launch of the Hala EV initiative reinforces our role as a key player in Dubai's sustainability vision while continuing to provide a seamless and reliable transport solution for our customers,' said Khaled Nuseibeh, CEO of Hala. 'Every ride in a Hala EV is a step towards a cleaner, smarter, and more sustainable city.' Hala customers can opt for an EV taxi via the Careem app at no additional cost. With 90 per cent of Hala's 13,000-strong fleet already comprising hybrid vehicles, the company is now looking to scale its EV fleet further as part of its long-term commitment to sustainability. Hala has seen rapid growth since its launch Since its 2019 launch as a joint venture between Careem and Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Hala has expanded rapidly, managing over 24,000 captains across its fleet. The company's technological advancements, including high-density Location (HDL) tracking, are designed to improve fuel efficiency and optimise Dubai's transportation sector is undergoing a significant transformation, with the government prioritising green mobility solutions. Hala's latest expansion underscores its role in shaping the future of urban transport while contributing to the city's environmental goals.
