Wuling’s first electric car
Wuling, a Chinese automaker, has entered the electric car market with the Hongguang Mini EV. The car is small and inexpensive, making it a good option for city dwellers.
The Hongguang Mini EV has a range of 100 kilometers (62 miles) and can be charged in four hours using a standard household outlet. It has a top speed of 60 kilometers per hour (37 miles per hour).
The car’s low price tag makes it an attractive option for budget-minded consumers. With government incentives, the price can drop to just over $4,000, and that’s less than half the price of a Tesla Model 3…. just kidding that’s like half the price of Teslas auto driving software program that isn’t actually hands free driving.
Let’s be honest, if these types of cars came to North America they would be a huge hit. Of course there would be a bit more costs to make them meet the safety standards here, but even if you double it at $8,000. This is a dream for anyone who lives in a smaller city, or doesn’t do much driving. It is the definition of a second car, just something you would use to go grab groceries or small tasks with. We have seen tesla promising a cheaper car for North America for 5 years now... but their cybertruck isn’t even out yet …. so can we really count on that?
This is the exact type of transportation the whole world needs, but there has to be some drawbacks… right? Well find out in the quick review and video below.
Quick review of the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV
The design: A tiny two-seater
The Mini EV has a simple design that makes it easy to maneuver and park. The car is just over 3 feet wide and less than 5 feet long, making it smaller than most smart cars.
While the new style of touchless keys, or RFID keys, entry etc., we are taken back only a couple of years when these were super fringe in car design. With this approach, the company has kept the price low by allowing drivers to actually drive. They don’t have the benefits that other cars have, but if you are just looking for a car to drive, this does the job at a great price.
Here is a great and pretty in depth ( and hands on ) review of the car, which is actually what alerted us to this little… mini cooper monster thingy…
Interior and features: Sparse but functional
The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV may be tiny, but it’s packed with features. Even though its small, the car has a lot of spacious interior and a variety of basic functions that could actually make it an amazing ( and economical ) choice for a city car.
The Hongguang Mini EV has a range of 100 kilometers, which should be enough for most people to drive around the city for a day or two.
Wuling Hongguang Mini EV Battery sizes
The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV is a battery-operated electric vehicle (EV) with two options when it comes to battery size and, in turn, range. The first battery gives approx 120 km in range, and the second gives 170 km.
So a great car for around town but not really an option for a road trip. The battery sizes are 24 kWh lithium-ion and 36 kWh lithium-ion battery packs.
Wuling Hongguang Mini EV speed
The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV has a top speed of 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour).
Because of the low cost the acceleration is not a priority, and it is actually listed at 31 seconds to get up to 100 km \ h or 60 MPH.
While we did our best to confirm this, it seems to be correct which is really impressively bad. I get that it is a very , VERY , cheap car but 31 seconds… is HALF A MINUTE. I know I know, of course it is half a minute. But to give you an idea how long half a minute is. Try holding your breath for that long… It is a long time. Now imagine a car taking that long to get up to the speed limit on a highway. This again shows that it is great for in the city but to be honest probably isn’t highway legal in Canada or the USA.
Wuling Hongguang charging…
This little eggmobile…. yes that is what we are calling it now, can be charged from 0 to 80% in just 45 minutes. This would normally be impressive, but you again have to realize the size of the tiny battery. So while it gets a decent charge in 3/4 of an hour… it isn’t a big battery. More on the charging rate below….
Wuling Hongguang Mini EV Features
Wuling Hongguang Mini EV creature comforts.
As you can probably imagine, the car is pretty sparse as far as the features. But at the end of the day, it has a basic radio, a USB hub, and AC. The first versions didn’t come with AC or Airbags. While you might say creature comfort… an airbag? We get it, but again this is a model that is not in North America right now, so requirements vary worldwide.
The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV is a small, affordable electric car perfect for city driving. It has a range of 100 km and a top speed of 100 km/h. The mini EV has air conditioning, power steering, and power windows. It also has a rear-view camera and an MP3 player. The Hongguang Mini EV is a great option for those who are looking for an affordable and practical electric car.
Manual Key and E brake
The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV is a subcompact hatchback that is available as a pure electric vehicle. It has a range of 106 miles and a top speed of 62 mph. The EV comes with a manual key and an e-brake. The manual key starts the car, and the e-brake stops the car. The e-brake can also be used to hold the car in place on a hill or when parking on an incline.
On the road: Zippy and fun to drive
The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV is a zippy and fun-to-drive electric car. It has a range of 100 miles and a top speed of 85 mph. The car is very maneuverable and easy to park, and it’s a great choice for city driving.
We aren’t sure but if it does make its way over to Japan, we aren’t sure they can use Teslas power plant setup over there…. so stay tuned for updates on that…
Wuling Hongguang Mini EV downsides
While the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV may be a decent car, it certainly has its share of downsides. For one, the range is somewhat limited, at only 100 kilometers. Additionally, the car is pretty slow, with a top speed of only 62 kilometers per hour. The design does leave a bit to be desired, but you can’t expect Ferrari body lines at this price point. The interior is pretty bland and a bunch of plastic, but again at this price point, we aren’t expecting leather all around. The final downside is that the charger is slow, which isn’t great, but this isn’t a massive battery pack, so it won’t take that long.
Conclusion: A cheap and cheerful EV
The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV is a cheap and cheerful option for those looking to enter the electric vehicle market. It’s a small car with a range of just over 100 miles, making it ideal for city driving. The build quality is not the best, but it’s still a decent option for budget-conscious buyers.
This is their second version, which was basically the same but without the AC and Airbags options. So they are making the right steps and could be a great model to keep an eye on. Right now in North America, their is no super economic priced cars. Again, this could be due to safety regulations or other things, but if there was an EV that came out at around $7,000-10,000 that are just used to drive around town we would see a huge increase in the adoption rate. The prices are just too high right now for the everyday person to be able to justify trading in their gas cars for an EV, especially if they don’t drive very much.
I am not an end of the world type of guy, but we can all feel how the environment is changing around us. Summers are too hot, winters too cold and rainy. If we don’t figure out a way to reverse some of these issues it won’t be fun. We have covered the possible use of hydrogen as cars fuel in another post, so we all know that there’s options out there. But they have to be accessible for everyone, not just those with lots of money.
