This is what the next E-Cars, the affordable electric city cars, could look like

In a recent speech to the European Parliament, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced her intention to introduce e-cars . These are highly compact, low-impact vehicles, accessible to European drivers and produced within the Union. This is what has been officially disclosed. Moving beyond theoretical speculation, we can begin to envision how this initiative might actually translate into the real world. In this sense, the most credible hypotheses suggest the possible creation of a new class of vehicles , positioned in the four-wheel "hierarchy" between heavy quadricycles and traditional cars . This is a type of car of which we may already have some "slides", although certainly not officially. Electric city cars produced in China, with ultra-compact dimensions but the performance of traditional cars. Models such as the Leapmotor T03 , the Dacia Spring , and the BYD Dolphin Surf , already well-known in our market, would therefore appear to be possible examples of vehicles equivalent to future e-cars. In their home country, China, however, there are many others that, given their design and technical characteristics, would have all the credentials to join the ranks. Below, a review of electric city cars that could mirror the physical features of European-style e-cars.

Among the smallest four-seater cars on sale in the Chinese domestic market is the Changan Lumin. This ultra-compact city car, 3.27 meters long and 1.70 meters wide, is available exclusively with electric motors. It is powered by a 47.5 horsepower engine capable of propelling it up to 101 kilometers per hour, powered by a 28.1 kWh LFP battery . According to the CLTC homologation cycle, the Lumin is capable of traveling up to 301 km on a single charge. In China, Changan's city car can be purchased starting at €5,300 for the "base" version with a range of 210 km, while a model with the specifications described above will set you back at least €7,000.

It's not as compact as previous vehicles, but the Wuling Bingo could represent something very similar to what true European e-cars will be. With a length of almost four meters and a width of 1.7 meters, the Bingo belongs to the B segment, still the most popular among drivers on our continent. Performance is also superior to the other previously mentioned models: the electric motor delivers 68 hp and 125 Nm, for a top speed of 130 kilometers per hour. Powering it is a 37.9 kWh battery pack, capable of guaranteeing up to 410 km of range according to the CLTC homologation standard. All this comes at a particularly low list price by our standards: it starts at just 6,200 euros .

Another four-door city car already on the Chinese market is the Lingbox Box. Measuring 3.58 meters long and 1.47 meters wide, it can reach a speed of 101 km/h thanks to a 47.5 horsepower electric motor. Its torque is 105 Nm, delivered to the front wheels only. The Box also uses a lithium-iron-phosphate battery pack, with a capacity of 31.2 kWh . Thus, its WLTP cycle range reaches 320 kilometers, while its price is among the lowest on the market, starting from the equivalent of just 5,000 euros .

At 3.75 meters long and 1.65 meters wide, the Yue 01 is one of the most compact five-door cars on the Chinese market. It is powered by a 32.6 kWh LFP battery, giving it a certified range of 335 kilometers in the WLTP cycle. The electric motor, on the other hand, delivers 47 horsepower and 125 Nm to the front wheels only, for a top speed of 100 km/h. The specifications list a wheelbase of 2.41 meters, as well as four-seater capacity. The list price in China starts at 7,160 euros .

The range of Chery, one of the historic brands in Chinese automotive manufacturing, also includes the small eQ1. This four-seater city car, measuring just 3.2 meters long and 1.67 meters wide, is equipped with an electric motor that delivers 49 horsepower and 95 Nm of torque to the rear wheels. The battery is a lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) type, with a total capacity of 25.1 kWh , guaranteeing up to 251 km of range in the CLTC cycle. In China, its list price starts at just under 6,000 euros . Does it look familiar? That's because the eQ1 is already on sale in the Italian market through Dr, who has named it the 1.0.

From its shape, it might look like a lightweight quadricycle like the Xev Yoyo , but in reality, if it were to ever arrive in Europe, the Baojun KiWi would have a traditional car license plate. This is because, first of all, its 68 horsepower , 150 Nm electric motor is capable of propelling it up to 115 kilometers per hour. Only 2.89 meters long and 1.65 meters wide, the KiWi has a 2.02 m wheelbase and can accommodate up to four passengers. It is powered by a rather generous battery pack considering its size, with a whopping 31.7 kWh , sufficient according to the Chinese CLTC test cycle (usually more permissive than the European WLTP standard) to guarantee a maximum range of 301 km . Compared to the other cars in this ranking, however, it is more expensive: prices start from the equivalent of 10,500 euros .