Will the Electric “Wagon” Fulfil Your Travel Dreams?
This is a modified model of the Roewe Ei5, which has been around for some time. The appearance changes are very minor, but even so, I think it’s an interesting car. Strictly speaking, this is a car that has no competition in its price range. You won’t find any pure electric cars with the same travel wagon body shape in its price range, or even outside it.
Perhaps the designers think it is a unique car; perhaps they think it is still very new; perhaps it is just because they are lazy, but Ei5’s modification this time did not make any major changes to its appearance design, the only change being in the inner shape of the headlight compartment, which has been upgraded to a “Arrow Feather C Position Headlight”. The name feels very fashionable, but in fact, it is just a simpler and more family-oriented adjustment to the internal shape of the headlights.
As a traditional car manufacturer, Roewe is more conservative in its electric car design. Although the grille is closed, it cannot do without family design. In addition, Ei5 is not able to show its identity as an electric car through its appearance, nor is it as sci-fi as the products of new forces. If not for the green plate hanging on the car, many people would probably think it is a fuel-powered car.
There is no absolute preference between traditional and stylish design. In fact, after seeing so many “electric car design techniques” that are alike, this more traditional design is easier to be accepted. However, it is indeed mediocre and uninteresting, but how to choose depends on consumers themselves.
It is a “wagon”, which is the most attractive feature. The three dimensions of 4544/1818/1536mm and a wheelbase of 2665mm are not large, but thanks to the wagon body shape, its side looks particularly stretched, and it also has a sizable trunk.
Overall, although the revised Ei5 lacks highlights in design, its elegant posture and powerful loading capacity can make a “wagon” lover satisfied. Anyway, if you want an electric travel car, there is no other choice.But for a travel car, distance must not be restricted.
Further battery life, giving true travel power
Although the restyling of Ei5 did not bring much fresh feeling visually, there was a considerable upgrade in terms of “core”.
- The battery capacity was upgraded from 35 kW·h to 52.5 kW·h;
- The comprehensive cruising range of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology was upgraded from 301 km to 420 km;
- The battery pack was upgraded from air-cooled to water-cooled (the current information shows that it will not be officially updated to water cooling until the second half of the year);
- The maximum cruising range is 570 km (which has no reference value).
In addition to the significant improvement in the comprehensive performance of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, in order to prove the funny slogan “Golden Overlord in electric vehicles”, SAIC Roewe officially conducted an actual cruising range test from Beijing to Tianjin in December 2018. The cruising range under comprehensive road conditions with air conditioning in winter was 341km. The drawback of this data is that the remaining 91km of cruising range cannot be directly accumulated.
In addition to the direct improvement of the cruising range by increasing the battery capacity, technologies such as heat pump air conditioning and iBooster intelligent electric control also have a certain positive impact on the cruising range, especially for consumers who need long-term heating in winter but are not in extremely cold areas. The advantages of heat pump air conditioning are significant compared to PTC. At the same time, another huge upgrade of the restyled Ei5 is that the battery will soon adopt water cooling, and the friendly degree of Ei5 to North China users has been upgraded again. However, owners of “Marvel X” may feel a little unfair in their hearts…
The motor is the same as the old model, which is still a permanent magnet synchronous motor with a maximum power of 85kW, a peak torque of 255N·m, a power consumption of 13.2kWh per hundred kilometers, and a maximum speed of 150km/h.
Although the official test data of winter cruising range of 341km is not so rigorous, it does not affect the comprehensive cruising range of 420km to be in the first tier of vehicles in the same price range. Furthermore, the appearance of water-cooled batteries also gives it greater possibility to travel in high and low-temperature environments. Therefore, the activity range of this electric travel car has been greatly improved, and it has given consumers the opportunity to truly travel with it.
More guarantee on the way
The upgrade of the Ei5 includes improvements to the active safety system, compared to the previous model, including:
- LDW lane departure warning system;
- AEB automatic emergency braking system;
- FCW forward collision warning system;
- SAS speed assist system;
- Automatic switching between high and low beams.
The “traditional” nature of traditional automobile brands is once again reflected, despite the fact that the Ei5 has many active safety systems, the popular automatic driving feature that is common in electric cars has yet to be developed. Although there are no electric cars in this price range that can completely open up automatic driving functionality, it is clear that the Ei5 does not intend to go down this route. By stacking more active safety configurations to improve driving safety, but not to “usurp power,” this is its considered approach.
Speaking of which, although there is currently no electric car at this price point that can fully open up all automatic driving functions, according to the timelines of several new vehicle-making brands, this year will be the period for opening up automatic driving functions. At that time, the conservative strategy of Ei5 will face some competition.
Conclusion
Finally, of course, I want to announce the selling price after subsidies:
- Comfort version: RMB 128,800;
- Luxury version: RMB 138,800;
- Intelligent Network flagship version: RMB 148,800;
- Intelligent Network Supreme Edition: RMB 158,800.
Although the starting price of the updated Ei5 is RMB 5,000 lower than that of the previous model, the configuration of the Comfort version is appalling, with no sunroof, no keyless entry, LED daytime running lights, or reversing image. Even the wheels are made of steel, and there are considerable deficiencies in terms of safety configuration, so it is still worth considering upgrading to a higher level.
The Ei5 is a unique all-electric travel car. At first glance, the actual range of just over 200 km did not make it suitable for travel, but now its range has increased by more than 100 km, making it possible for short trips to local areas or intra-city travel. This means that it is not just an ordinary travel car in appearance, but now has more practical meaning as one.
On the other hand, although the Ei5 has many active safety systems, the Zebra Zhixing car from Alibaba, and is based on a purely electric platform, it is still very very traditional compared to the new vehicle-making brands that are constantly emerging with new ideas, which is reflected in all aspects.
So, how would you choose?
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.