Seres 3 EV. Humble but promising Chinese vehicle
The Seres 3 EV is a compact all-electric SUV launched in 2022. Talkar, known as an importer of Kia cars, announced the beginning of sales of the Seres 3 EV in Israel. The cost starts from 142,960 shekels (including the registration fee). At the same time, the manufacture provides an 8-year warranty for the powertrain or 100,000 km and a 5-year warranty for other units. The Chinese automotive industry continues its massive electric vehicle expansion to all corners of the world. Chinese electric vehicles have different parameters and quality. The Seres 3 EV belongs to the model range of a large company Sokon, which sells its electric vehicles under the Seres brand. It is currently available in Israel, so we have decided to share with you everything we know about this Chinese vehicle.
Elon Musk's former partner, Tesla co-founder Martin Eberhard is taking part in the development of Seres electric vehicles. Martin is a great engineer. He was the first CEO of Tesla and the developer of the general basic principles for creating electric vehicles. In addition, Sokon, which owns the Seres brand, employs other prominent American specialists, and also cooperates with leading Chinese companies such as Huawei, which develops information technology and software for electric vehicles.
Exterior
The new Seres 3 EV looks a little strange: it has an upturned rear end, side windows tapered towards the back, a rear window that is strongly tilted forward, a sharply protruding rear part of the body, ribbed sides, relatively small wheels. The best word to describe this compact SUV would be ‘bold’. And although this is not the most outstanding and even somewhat disharmonious example of automotive design, it will definitely find its fans. The SUV is 4,385 mm long, 1,850 mm wide and 1,650 mm high. It has a wheelbase of 2,655 mm and a ground clearance of 180 mm. By the way, the Seres 3 EV is one of the lightest compact SUVs, weighing only 1,765 kg.
Interior
The interior of the 2022 Seres 3 EV is quite modern, not luxurious, but the affordable SUV format does not imply this. At the same time, as is typical for Chinese vehicles, the entry-level version comes with a full range of options and functions, including:
- 10.25-inch control monitor;
- 10.25-inch multimedia system;
- automatically folding mirrors;
- separate climate control;
- smart ignition key;
- electrically adjustable seats and much more.
The trunk volume is moderate, reaching 0.3 cubic meters. The permissible payload is up to 300 kg. But the interior has a lot of space for little things. The entry-level version delivered to Israel comes with a panoramic sunroof, tinted windows, leather-trimmed seats, roof rails and R18 alloy wheels.
Powertrain
The new Seres 3 EV SUV is equipped with an electric motor producing 163 hp and a maximum torque of 30.5 kg/m. The engine is capable of accelerating the electric car to 100 km / h in 8.9 seconds. The maximum speed is programmatically limited at around 155 km/h. A 52.7 kWh lithium-ion battery offers a driving range of 329 km. According to the results of our test drive, ten kilometers before the limit mark, the electric vehicle slows down on its own and without warning by about 10 km every kilometer. Standard charging occurs in 8 hours, whereas the fast charger will charge up to 80% of the battery in an average of 30 minutes.
Safety
In terms of safety, the Seres 3 EV hasn’t been crash-tested yet, but at least it’s known to have a number of advanced safety options in addition to the standard 6 airbags:
- front and rear parking sensors;
- 360-degree cameras;
- lane departure warning system;
- forward collision warning, and so on.
Overall, the 2022 Seres 3 EV appears to be a modern, well-equipped electric vehicle, with modest parameters for speed, driving range, comfort, convenience and safety. It will clearly compete with other Chinese electric vehicles.
