Photo: Wuling/MIIT
The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV sells like hot cakes in China, beating the Model 3 made there multiple times before the Tesla stopped selling that well. However, being sold only for Chinese customers made it more of a curiosity until FreZe announced it would also deliver the car in Europe as the FreZe Nikrob EV. For customers in any of these markets worried about range, Wuling will improve it in a simple way: it will stretch the minicar.
According to our colleagues at CarNewsChina, pictures and documents revealed by the MIIT (the Chinese Ministry of Industry, Information, Technology) show the tiny EV will have a Long Range version. This new Mini EV is 3 meters (118 inches) long thanks to the extra 77 millimeters compared to the regular Wuling, which is 2.92 m (115 in) long.
The wheelbase was stretched by 70 mm (2.8 in) and now sits at 2.01 m (79.1 in) instead of the former 1.94 m (76.4 in). The other measures remain the same, apparently: 1.62 m (63.8 in) in height and 1.49 m (58.7 in) in width.
The extra room helped the Mini EV get a larger battery pack with a capacity of 26 kWh. It would be enough for the Wuling to travel 300 km in the NEDC cycle. Before that, the furthest a Mini EV could go was 170 km with its 13.9 kWh battery pack, the largest one that could fit in the original car.
With the longer wheelbase, the Mini EV Long Range also offers more comfort in the back seat. The vehicle received a more powerful motor to compensate for the extra weight, which was not disclosed: it delivers 30 kW (40 hp). The Mini EV with the 13.9 kWh battery pack weighs 705 kilograms (1,554 pounds).
According to CarNewsChina, the move was not only to capitalize on the Hongguang Mini EV’s popularity. The larger version also earns more NEV (New Energy Vehicle) credits to Wuling. The Chinese company only makes RMB89 in each Mini EV it sells. That’s equivalent to $14 at the current exchange rate.
We asked FreZe if the new Mini EV would also be sold in Europe. According to Leonard Yankelovich, the company’s founder, there are no plans to regularly offer this more extensive version of the electric car. Despite that, people interested in it may get one on request – which he is not confident he will get. “Such a tiny car was not designed to be a limo,” Yankelovich joked.
The wheelbase was stretched by 70 mm (2.8 in) and now sits at 2.01 m (79.1 in) instead of the former 1.94 m (76.4 in). The other measures remain the same, apparently: 1.62 m (63.8 in) in height and 1.49 m (58.7 in) in width.
The extra room helped the Mini EV get a larger battery pack with a capacity of 26 kWh. It would be enough for the Wuling to travel 300 km in the NEDC cycle. Before that, the furthest a Mini EV could go was 170 km with its 13.9 kWh battery pack, the largest one that could fit in the original car.
With the longer wheelbase, the Mini EV Long Range also offers more comfort in the back seat. The vehicle received a more powerful motor to compensate for the extra weight, which was not disclosed: it delivers 30 kW (40 hp). The Mini EV with the 13.9 kWh battery pack weighs 705 kilograms (1,554 pounds).
According to CarNewsChina, the move was not only to capitalize on the Hongguang Mini EV’s popularity. The larger version also earns more NEV (New Energy Vehicle) credits to Wuling. The Chinese company only makes RMB89 in each Mini EV it sells. That’s equivalent to $14 at the current exchange rate.
We asked FreZe if the new Mini EV would also be sold in Europe. According to Leonard Yankelovich, the company’s founder, there are no plans to regularly offer this more extensive version of the electric car. Despite that, people interested in it may get one on request – which he is not confident he will get. “Such a tiny car was not designed to be a limo,” Yankelovich joked.
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