> can travel up to 125 kilometers (77 miles) on a single charge
The US market generally rejects small-range EVs, except in very niche markets. In order to succeed in the US, it will need roughly 3-4x the range. In order for this to succeed in Mexico, their market will need different driving habits than the typical American.
(I know this as a former 2014 Leaf lessee. Short-range EVs only make sense when they are the only option in my price range, and I really, really want to drive an EV. Maybe the typical Mexican rarely drives far away from home? Or maybe this is for a niche of Mexicans who really, really want an EV and will tolerate a short range?)
It's interesting that info about the car is only half the article. The other half is a commentary on how US politicians are desperately trying to keep foreign EVs out of the country, lest it hurt corporate profits.
It's true that some people drive more than 77 miles per day. But a pretty big chunk of people never do, except road trips/vacations. It could easily be worth it to buy a cheap EV for everyday use and then rent a vehicle for long trips.
if the short range EV is now much cheaper, people will adapt to the restriction because it's an affordable option
At the time we were a 2-car household and used the gas car for longer trips. That being said, there were a few times we had to scramble:
Once, when it was very cold my wife and I both needed to drive a long distance. I took the Leaf because I had access to a charger.
On our last year of the lease we ended up having to move 90 miles away. When we bought the Leaf, we never planned on driving that far. Due to circumstances, I had to make multiple 90-mile trips in the Leaf.
---
Case in point: I now only recommend that class of Leaf to people who need a 3rd car for a teenager and no intention of moving.
And then when I actually need to travel longer distances the range is much more important.
So EV would need to be very cheap to start making sense overall.
Hey at least you admitted that upfront. Average driving speed in Mexico City is 15 km/h so one would have to spend 8h driving to deplete the battery in a day. Typical commutes are perhaps 1h one-way but again, distance wise probably only about 40 km both ways. So this 125km range easily covers it for most people.
I think energy cost is more of an issue for most. electricity is expensive in Mexico City especially compared to base salaries. And electrical infrastructure was never built to handle high power consumption. Most apartments have a single 30A breaker for the entire house. Most heating is done by gas and air conditioning is not widely used. For most people charging speed will likely be limited to about 10A at 120V.
That's pretty much standard operating procedure for any EV. That's one of the perks of owning an EV. Plug it in when you get home from work, and have a full "tank" every morning. Plus you get the cabin preheating using the wall electricity.
And minimum speed on US interstates is typically 40mph, so that reduces its usability even more.
Charging is not a problem when a car is stationary. It is parked next to a building, building usually has electricity (unless you are Amish).
I don't know why most people don't understand electricity is available everywhere, but petrol is only available at gas stations. You have to somewhere to pump gas, a major inconvenience.
Americans buy the car for the 1% trips. In my case, most of my car trips are short, but most of my milage is from long-range trips.
What's more informative is this post that explains Mexican driving behavior: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48634740
I don't think range will be an issue at that speed tbh.
Cool little transport but not really a "car" in the way we think of them.
Huh, the speed limit is odd because in my urban/city driving in the western US (San Diego, LA, SF, Portland and Seattle) all major cities still basically necessitate non-zero highway driving. Even mopeds (and bicycles) can pretty easily exceed 31 mph.
I've spent about 2 months total in Mexico City and there are still in-city areas where it'd be common to exceed 31 mph. The main rate limiter being traffic...
Anyway not to pooh-pooh the idea too much, I am sure there are plenty of use cases but maybe enabling a top speed of 55 mph would increase utility IMO
As with everything, finding an official announcement of something in Nicaragua might be horrible, so have this instead https://ni.usembassy.gov/message-for-u-s-citizens-new-speed-...
People are so caught up trying to solve every use case at once. Dropping pollution caused by old taxis in city centers will be a big win for Mexico if they can hit their price point. At the price they are quoting fleet operators can buy 2 and have their drivers swap out mid-day during their lunch.
This EV is much more expensive than a motorcycle or a scooter, so on that regard it is DOA.
150k pesos (~$8.6k) for a brand new wheelchair-accessible city van seems like a killer deal in the Mexican market. That would come on the market for less than a used air-cooled VW beetle (ended production in Mexico in 2003)
I suspect the current federal government might push back on a Mexican EV just for ideological reasons.
I mean, I assume it is not the case that literally all Americans regularly make long journeys. There probably is a market.
> I know this as a former 2014 Leaf lessee.
That was a lot more expensive than this.
The Dacia Spring has a range of a little less than twice these, and I see a good few of those around. Those cost about 15k EUR (17k USD). I'd definitely buy that there is at least _some_ market for something half the cost and half the range.
This would be a big hit in European cities. I own VW e-Up! and it's a perfect EU city car. With it's 375KM range, I rarely charge it more than once a month.
