The blockbuster Wuling Hongguang Mini EV has helped create an exciting new market for mini electric vehicles in China. In just over 2 years it has sold close to a million units in China. The Mini EV is very popular in the 2nd and 3rd tier Chinese cities and is enabling people who would not have been able to afford a car to be able to get a decent affordable vehicle. Starting at just $4 200, the Mini EV’s appeal to non-consumers or the market not traditionally targeted by automakers has a real potential to disrupt the auto industry. The success of the Hongguang Mini EV shows that there is a huge market for these basic EVs.
It was not surprising then that several mini EVs started to pop up everywhere from other automakers and you can see that they didn’t try to hide the fact that they were inspired by the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV. Quite a few of them have similar specs and look like the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV. Before the LFP battery powered mini EVs became a thing, a few years ago, lead acid battery powered Low Speed Electric Vehicles (LSEV) were the biggest thing in those cities and villages in China.
China’s LSEV market has probably set a precedent for the type of disruptive innovation we are seeing from the mini EVs. These LSEVs vehicles have been quite popular in small towns and in rural areas in China. They are quite an upgrade from bicycles, e-bikes, and motorcycles, as they protect drivers from the elements and generally cost less than $3000. Over 5 million of these LSEVs that generally come with lead acid batteries have been sold in China. These are some of the small vehicles you can get on Alibaba. Now for just about $1000 more, people can get better quality, faster, more powerful city EVs with longer lasting LFP batteries. Some of the big players in LSEV segment, such as Levdeo, are now joining the mini EV race. Levdeo has introduced the Letin Mango in this mini EV segment.
LSEVs are now starting to find their way to some African cities. There have been some available in some West African countries where it was pretty straightforward to introduce them in that region as they drive on the same side as China. It has been a challenge to bring some of them to East and Southern African markets where we drive on the other side of the road. In Zimbabwe, the EV Centre, which is also the official distributor of BYD vehicles in Zimbabwe, has just introduced the Derry Auto V7 LSEV to the Zimbabwean market in right-hand drive. This move is in a bid to offer a wider range of electric vehicles to cater for people with different incomes.
The Derry Auto V7 LSEV is manufactured in China by Henan Derry Energy Automobile Co, LTD. It is a 5-door small EV that seats 4 quite comfortably and has the following specs:
- Drive Motor: 10kW (Peak)
- Battery Pack: 10,8 kW (LFP)
- Solar Panel on Roof: 300W
- Maximum Speed: 60km/h
- Real world range: To be confirmed. Planning to take it for a range test soon
The Derry Auto V7 is available in Zimbabwe in several colors. Multiple units have just landed, and final pricing will be confirmed.
The larger modern day electric vehicles are still quite pricey compared to their equivalent ICE vehicles when it comes to the upfront purchase price. Although EVs win when it comes to total cost of ownership, the upfront purchase price is still one of the main considerations for consumers. A recent survey in South Africa highlights this. These small low speed electric vehicles which are more affordable could potentially find a market and use cases in a number of areas.
Driving schools, high school and college students, logistics industry and last mile delivery sector, recent graduates and early career professionals are some of the target groups. The average daily commute distance in the large urban centers is around 15 km, as cited in Zimbabwe’s Transport Master Plan. The speed limit in most urban areas in Zimbabwe is 60km/h. The roads in the urban centers are getting increasingly congested and therefore drivers spend a lot of time in slow moving traffic. These LSEVs could be quite usual in urban centers. Will they become as fashionable as they were in China some years back? We will find out in the near future.
Images by Remeredzai
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Source: Clean Technica