China's Cheapest Electric Car Just Got A BIG Upgrade

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Hot on the heels of his hugely popular review of the standard Wuling Mini EV - China's cheapest electric car - Elliot takes a look at its slightly posher sibling: the Mini EV Cabrio. With much improved engineering, top-down driving thrills and a price still less than half that of the cheapest EV you can get in the UK, is this tiny roadster the bargain of the century??

00:00 How do you improve one of the world's best-selling EVs?
1:36 The essential info
2:47 The wig test
4:23 Driving impressions
7:22 A huge interior upgrade
8:45 Built for fun!
9:40 Power (or lack of)
10:23 A rather surprising boot
11:31 The roof!
12:12 Final thoughts?

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#Wuling #MiniEV #Wulingcabrio #convertible #cheapcar #cheapev #affordableev #Tesla #Electriccar
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I live in China and would like to clarify a point that Elliot didn't make clear.
As you can all see in the video, it’s not against local regulations to drive the Mini EV – or any micro electric car – in Shanghai. It’s just that passenger EVs that 1) either sell for less than 100k RMB 2) or are less than 4.6 meters long may not be *registered* in Shanghai. They are therefore not treated as local vehicles, and are allowed to use the city’s major ring roads and elevated expressways only at night. So why has Shanghai’s municipal government made such an odd decision?
Analysts in the country concur that the ban is fundamentally a part of the city’s effort to reduce motor traffic. Major Chinese cities like Shanghai are not planned or built with motor vehicles in mind, because after all, private cars had been a rarity in the country until the 1990s. As a natural result, roads in those cities are increasingly overwhelmed.
To prevent the congestion from worsening further, the mega-cities have taken a drastic step. Starting around 2012, people living in Shanghai can’t just pick up a car from the dealership and have the administration register it – not without a license. The licenses, which are released to the public rather sporadically, may be obtained through auctions held by the state*. As of 2022, such a license costs over 100k RMB on average.
Then, in around 2015, came the tidal wave of electric vehicles. In order to promote the adoption of cars that emit less from the tailpipe and (more importantly) save fossil fuel, cities like Shanghai decided to exempt EVs and many plug-in hybrids from the restriction described above. In other words, each EV carries with itself a “license of registration”. While this new policy has really allowed China to jumpstart its electric car industry, it works at cross-purposes with the restriction it bypasses.
Manufacturers, like Wuling and Leapmotor, both of which Fully Charged has covered in its videos, are incentivized to make cheap, basic electric rides because almost all battery electric cars are eligible for multiple national subsidies, but also because simply too many city dwellers need cars but can’t afford a license. The influx of micro EVs has put huge additional stress on Shanghai’s streets – note that no matter how small a car is, it still occupies considerable space on the driveway.
That, compounded by the fact that most notable Chinese manufacturers of micro EVs are not located in Shanghai (even though Wuling is) and thus don’t contribute to the city’s revenues, eventually prompted the municipal administration to refuse to register any EV unless it costs more than 100k RMB and is over 4.6 meters long. Sorry, Smart 1. Here, it’s interesting to note that the Volkswagen ID.4 is manufactured and marketed separately by two of VW’s joint ventures with Chinese capital: the ID.4 X, which is made in Shanghai, is 461 cm long, while the ID.4 CROZZ, which is made elsewhere in China, is coincidentally 459 cm long.
So, actually it’s quite understandable that Elliot didn’t really explain why he can’t fully enjoy the Wuling convertible in Shanghai, because the story is a really long one.
*In Beijing there’re no auctions; rather, a “lottery” system decides which residents of the city get the much-coveted license. The longer a household stays in the lottery without winning it, the greater the odds become, but even so, calculations reveal that it takes at least 10 years for a Beijinger who signs up today to eventually win a license.

md
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It's astounding that they would ban a car from driving in a city for being too small. A city is exactly the place where you need smaller vehicles...

Smidge
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Something that’s actually worthy of the name Mini

unbalancedcrank
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I wish this size of electric car (and price) would come to the UK.

I’m never going to be able to afford an electric car at the prices they sell for in this country currently.

jrsisson
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Another great little video featuring a Wuling MiniEV. Such an excellent little runabout for anyone who needs no more than it offers.

ramblerandy
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Very nice ! thing is if it comes to the UK the price will probably double otherwise every kid on the block would have one

stevenbarrett
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We needs something between the Citroen Ami and the MG4. This has promise.

Dashdecent
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Why can't we get to buy cars like this in the UK, Just brilliant and still quite cheap

lookoutleo
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I really like Micro cars. I had a 2003 Smart Four two and I loved it. I currently drive a 1970 Classic FIAT 500; again, superb and I love it.
I’d like to ‘like’ this one but somehow…I don’t and that’s purely down to its looks.
Undoubtedly a great little car though but how strange that it’s banned from a city! Exactly where it should be, albeit it does appear to have a good range.
Not for me but the world is almost certainly a better place because of its existence.

alunhoskins
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Don’t worry if it comes to the uk it will be 35k

Chris-mhvf
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Kudos to whoever done the BGM in this episode. I dig it!

krrk
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OMG. It's like a Power Wheels for adults. I want one!

danmccarthy
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This reminds me of the odd geo metro cabrio from the 90s lol

shept.
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It's cute. Looks like a silver Cross pram on small wheels .
Cool video

nickmassey
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OK that was a pretty inventive driving round the camera shot Elliot.

davidotoole
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I'd love to be able to upgrade the motor/esc and batteries. Make this into a proper little hot cabrio

ek
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The whig suits you. You should wear it more often.

Andi_mit_E
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so cute! would love on in UK next summer:)

havencat
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absolutely fantastic and practical on first look.

bennystokes
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At least Robert now knows of a suitable stunt double for Duane Dibbley in Red Dwarf. 🙂

GreenJimll