Minimalist e-city car comes to Germany
The compact city runabout Eli Zero. (Photo: Eli)
The German e-car market is growing. The Chinese startup Eli starts production of its Eli Zero in Germany.
The Chinese electric car startup Eli has announcedto want to offer his small e-runabout for the city in Europe as soon as possible. At first glance, the electric two-seater looks like the mini version of a Smart with a futuristic touch in terms of design.
Of the Eli Zero is 2.25 meters long, 1.38 meters wide and 1.57 meters high. This means that there are many parking spaces in the city. The manufacturer currently offers the Zero in three different versions and relies on two different lithium-ion batteries. Both the basic version of the Eli Zero Light and the normal Zero version have a 5.8 kilowatt-hour battery. The Eli Zero plus, on the other hand, was equipped with a battery that is eight kilowatt hours in size. For the range, that means a distance of 80 or 113 kilometers. The batteries are fully charged in a normal socket after about two and a half to three and a half hours.
The engine of the compact electric car has an output of just over five hp. The top speed of each Zero version is between 40 and 45 kilometers per hour.
The glazed sliding roof is also an eye-catcher. In the interior there is also a seven-inch infotainment screen with Bluetooth connectivity. In addition, the vehicle comes with air conditioning, USB charging ports and a cigarette lighter. A reversing camera and parking sensors as well as steering assistance are also integrated. No more safety assistance systems are built in.
This is what the Eli Zero looks like from the inside. (Photo: Eli)
In Europe, the Eli Zero is officially known as the Light Quadricycle classified. That means it fits somewhere between quad and moped. “We sell through an established distributor called the KSR Group, which will initially be launched in Austria, Germany and Switzerland and then in other European countries”, explained founder Marcus Li to Techcrunch.
Official prices are currently not known. The first version of the Eli Zero was sold for the equivalent of 8,500 euros. The new model will be a little more expensive, according to Techcrunch. It could settle in a price segment around 10,225 euros.
The article was updated on 9/22/2021.
