The energy transition is as delicate as all evolutions. Just as one Putin can tear down everything that millennia of civilizing brought humanity, the expected triumph of the plug-in car can stumble over unforeseen obstacles.
First, its range has been more or less constant for years. Unless you drive a Tesla or a Korean, your lease EV will reach 300 kilometers, a large SUV not even much more. Although charging is getting faster and faster, a long range is only possible with heavy, enormous battery packs pending new battery technology.
Problem two is the price. The geopolitical circumstances are of course not cooperating with chip and raw material shortages, but the electric people’s car is far away. An electric mid-sized car with sufficient range and space costs at least forty grand. Prices rose enormously, partly due to the disappearance of unprofitable basic models last year, and the promised affordable plug-in cars from groups such as VW have not materialised. And can they offer it for reasonable amounts in due course as the starting price for a VW Up that has been produced for ten years on petrol is now approaching an astonishing twenty grand? Without a Downward Price Spiral, European Commissioner Timmermans’ Green Deal has a major problem. Manufacturers can solve this for him by becoming considerably cheaper. But how are they supposed to supply a plug-in car in the Golf class for a maximum of 30,000 euros, or an electric city car for half? Then labor and raw materials must remain affordable and accessible, energy prices must not escalate further and buyers must not become poorer, all three headaches of a global caliber. At school you heard talk of the romantic belief in progress. Now you see the policies that are supposed to save us fall into the same trap. Motto: If we just want the good hard enough, it will be fine.
Meanwhile, the Chinese, they again, are dangerously close to the 30,000-euro limit. The MG4 Electric will of course be available for the stage in a Luxury version with a 64kWh battery, electrically adjustable seats, seat and steering wheel heating, heat pump and three-phase charger. Then you drive as big and spacious as a Golf for 36,285 euros, already a bargain in the context of the market. But the real news is the basic Standard model. According to MG, this will reach 350 kilometers on one charge for 30,785 euros with a slightly smaller battery, and private individuals can receive a purchase subsidy of 2,950 euros this year. All alarm bells should now be ringing in South Korea and Europe. The compact electric Peugeots and Opels, with their unusably tight back seats, already cost 1,700 to 2,000 euros more. The Dacia Spring, which now costs almost 22 grand, is not a family car. Last year you still had it for 18,282 euros. Sometimes you wonder who is subsidizing the government, the consumer or the manufacturer.
Not bad
The MG doesn’t look bad. He must be your taste, but for 31 grand you have a strain poor man’s Lamborghini Urus. The MG4 acutely sharpens the inescapable debate about products from Xi’s dictatorship. Unfortunately for morale, he’s good. The battery capacity of the Standard is sufficient with 51 kWh for a real range of 300 kilometers and probably a little more in the summer. The seats are not electric and it has 34 hp less than the Luxury, but 170 hp is more than enough and that also applies to the fast charging speed of 117 kW. The only serious shortcoming is the lack of a three-phase charger. With a regular existence you have little trouble with it. The Standard charges quickly and you can charge a battery of this size at home in just one night. But you shouldn’t lead an irregular life as a representative with many unplanned stops at slow city charging stations.
The finish is correct without pretensions. So sweet: the Standard has no mirrors in the sun visors and the Luxury only has one on the passenger side. China could still use a Joke Smit. Conservatism also has advantages. The interior design is not difficult. An armrest is an armrest, a handle is a handle. Instead of a space-consuming center tunnel, a modest balcony protrudes from the dashboard with the dial for the automatic transmission and below that a storage compartment with two cup holders. The MG steers excellently with rear-wheel drive, the steering position is good, the suspension pleasantly firm. This car, barring hidden flaws, is bad news for the establishment. As the CEO of competing companies, I would cancel all leave after a test drive.
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