We drove: Geely Emgrand EV // From afar, but very close
Some are very far, some are very close. One of these is the Geely Emgrand EV. Not surprisingly, the brand's car is at a level that makes it easy to compete with non-Chinese competitors - but Geely is the concern that owns not only this brand, but also Volvo, for example. And they are the ones who develop electrical components for Volvo. The Emgrand EV, however, is really the blueprint for making a car that can be sold anywhere in the world.
The Emgrand EV must first "get rid" of the basic data, a 4,6 meter long sedan (station wagon or five-door version, because this is a car for the Chinese market, of course they don't think), which has enough space in the cabin and trunk, which is on par classic non-electric sedans.
The interior, one can easily say, is completely at the level of European products - both in terms of materials and workmanship, at least quickly and on a new car. It's the same with the infotainment system, the gauges (could be) fully digital. It sits well and the transmission control is well decided. Regeneration can be set in three stages using a rotary knob on the center console (the most powerful one almost allows you to drive only with the accelerator pedal, the only option is to stop the car without pressing the brake pedal), Emgrand also has an eco mode that limits top speed and reduces performance transmission in general.
In normal mode, it can produce 120 kilowatts, and the engine is front-mounted and drives the front wheels through a single-speed transmission. Battery? Its power is 52 kilowatt-hours, which is enough for more than 300 kilometers of real range (NEDC data says 400). We can estimate that consumption in our standard circuit could be somewhere on average for European electric vehicles, that is, anywhere from 14 to 15 kilowatt-hours per 100 kilometers, which means a range of somewhere around 330 or 350 kilometers. Of course, it has the ability to preheat and the ability to preset the charging time.
At fast charging stations, Emgrand is charged with a power of 50 kilowatts, and with alternating current somewhere around 6 kilowatts, which is more than enough for everyday use.
How does Emgrand drive? At least not worse than, for example, the Nissan Leaf. Quiet enough, the driving position is good, the steering wheel is adjustable (unlike most Chinese cars) in depth.
What about the price? In Europe, of course, they do not know about this, but in the domestic market such an Emgrand costs somewhere from 27 thousand euros to a subsidy. Such a price in our country would mean only 20 thousand, and in the Chinese market even less because of higher subsidies: only about 17 thousand. And for that kind of money, they would sell much more in Europe than they could earn.
Top five
In addition to Geely, we tested three of the five best-selling Chinese fives, only the best-selling BAIC EV-200 did not, as the electronics on it failed.
The smallest is Cherry iEV5. The small four-seater is only 3,2 meters long, so both the rear seats and the trunk are really more emergency. The engine only has 30 kW, but since the battery capacity is 38 kWh, it has a range of just under 300 (or a good 250) kilometers. Interior? Very Chinese so quite cheap and with little equipment, both in help and comfort. Why is it so sold out? It's cheap - well below 10 euros after deducting the subsidy.
Slightly more expensive than BYD e5. It costs almost exactly 10 (after the subsidy), but it's a Geely-type sedan, but with much lower quality materials and workmanship. The same goes for the hardware: the battery has a capacity of 38 kWh, which ultimately means a range of just under 250 kilometers. The fourth we tested is the JAC EV200, which is slightly smaller but very similar in quality and usability to BYD, but has a battery capacity of only 23 kWh and a correspondingly short range (only about 120 kilometers). But since the price is also favorable here, up to a subsidy of about 23 thousand, it still sells well.
