Charge up: what the new Russian electric car will be like
The Avtotor plant together with Moscow Polytechnic has developed a new electric car made entirely of domestic components. In the near future, the model will undergo the necessary certification, and next year serial production will begin in the Kaliningrad region. Izvestia found out what the new Russian electric car will be like and why its buyers will not have to pay for the battery.
The battery is not for sale
Next year serial production of a new compact electric car will begin at the Avtotor plant in the Kaliningrad region. This was announced by Alexander Sorokin, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of Avtotor Holding, within the framework of the forum on the development of electric transportation in Russia held in Moscow. He noted that now the pre-production samples are undergoing final tests and are being prepared for certification.
- We have developed a compact electric car together with Moscow Polytechnic. Now it is being tested. We plan to start serial production in the second or third quarter of next year, - he specified.
Vladimir Miklushevsky, Rector of Moscow Polytechnic, and Alexander Sorokin, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of Avtotor Holding, show Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the State Duma, a new electric car
According to Alexander Sorokin, the approximate cost of the car, which now has the conventional name L7, and in the future will be produced under the brand AmberAuto (derived from the word "amber" - "Izvestia"), will be 1 million rubles. At the same time, the electric car will be offered to consumers according to an unusual scheme for our country, he emphasized.
- The battery accounts for up to 40% of the price of an electric car. In order to keep the cost of this model at an acceptable level, we plan not to sell the battery to the buyer, but to lease it. Of course, the battery itself will be on the car. But the buyer will not have to pay for it: he will pay small sums for its use during charging. As soon as the traction battery cannot take more than 70% of the charge, it will be replaced with a new one. In turn, the used battery will continue its life: for example, it can be used in stationary energy sources," Alexander Sorokin specified.
He emphasized that the new electric car model is almost entirely made of domestic components. The electric motor, control electronics, chassis and other units and assemblies, including the traction battery, are Russian-made, said the Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of Avtotor Holding.
- In fact, the only thing imported in the car is the "chemistry" in the battery," he said.
For two and four people
The development of the platform, chassis, frame, suspension, electric motor control systems of the new electric car was carried out by specialists of the Moscow Polytechnic, said the rector of the university Vladimir Miklushevsky. The design of the car, its exterior and interior were created by Avtotor together with other partners, he specified.
- Now we are making five pre-production samples of the electric car for its further certification. One of our tasks is to further refine this model after the certification tests are completed, if necessary. The certification procedure for this electric car is expected to take place in the first quarter of next year," Vladimir Miklushevsky told Izvestia.
The car belongs to the "quadricycle" type of vehicle, said one of its developers, Pablo Iturralde, director of the Advanced Engineering School of Electric Transportation at Moscow Polytechnic. The rear-wheel drive vehicle with an aluminum frame is supposed to be both in passenger version, designed for four people, and in cargo-passenger modification, capable of carrying up to 300 kilograms of cargo and two people.
- The power of the electric motor is 3 kW, the mass of the car is 500 kg. The electric car can accelerate up to 110 km/h, but since it is expected to be operated mainly in the city, its speed is planned to be limited at 80 km/h," Iturralde shared with Izvestia.
Couriers and not only
First of all, this electric car is designed to work as transportation for couriers, as well as for delivery services, said Pablo Iturralde. This model may also be of interest to carsharing services, rental companies (primarily in the south of the country), various sanatoriums, health centers and country hotels with a large territory, said Maxim Kadakov, editor-in-chief of the magazine "Za Rulem".
- This may be a very curious and interesting offer for corporate clients. They may be particularly interested in the scheme whereby the buyer of this electric car does not actually pay for the expensive battery, which will be offered to him in leasing, - says the editor-in-chief of "Za Rulem".
However, the demand for a new Russian electric car among private customers is likely to be minimal, Maxim Kadakov believes. In his opinion, the scheme with "underpayment" of the battery may scare off private buyers, who, as a rule, have little understanding of the peculiarities of leasing.
Ruslan Tarasov, editor-in-chief of the Russian electric car portal EV-Start, has a different point of view. In his opinion, individuals purchasing a car for personal use may also be interested in the novelty.
- It may well become a kind of alternative to a motorcycle or quad bike for people living in country cottage settlements. They can use this compact electric car instead of a regular car for trips for some household needs: to the store, fishing, visiting neighbors. Its small size makes it possible to store it in any garage or under a shed where it can be recharged," he believes.
Ruslan Tarasov calls the proposed scheme of sale with leasing the battery "promising and worthy of attention". It will allow to keep the price at an acceptable level, he believes.
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