R200,000 City Blitz becomes South Africa's cheapest electric car

The City Blitz has hit South African streets as one of the country’s cheapest electric vehicles (EV), with a starting price of R199,900.

Aimed at small businesses, mines and urban delivery services, the tiny Chinese vehicle is imported by EV Africa, a subsidiary of motor retail and car hire giant Combined Motor Holdings (CMH).

The affordable, eco-friendly City Blitz is available in four models, all supported by four-year/60,000km warranties:

• a R199,900 two seater;
• a R239,900 four seater;
• a R239,900 single cab pickup; and
• a R249,900 panel van.

They require a regular driver’s licence to operate and cost about 20c/km to operate, compared to about R1.20/km for a small petrol car, says EV Africa.

City Blitz models have a claimed range of up to 150km and the 10kWh lithium battery can be fully charged at a regular wall socket in four to six hours. With a power output of 7.5kW, top speed is rated at 80km/h, making them suitable for inner city and urban applications, as well as housing estates and airports.

The tiny City Blitz two-seater is designed for congested city and suburban driving and easy parking. The range will be sold at motorcycle, boat and leisure shops and supported by parts outlets across the country.

I had a brief test drive in the City Blitz at the media launch near Pretoria this week. At just over 2.2m in length and 1.3m wide, the two-seater is about the size of a golf cart and the cabin is a tight fit for adults, who have their knees touching the dashboard. Visibility out the large windows is excellent, however, and a panoramic sunroof makes the cabin feel airy.

The four-seater is a bit roomier as the front seats can be pushed back for more comfort and the rear bench is large enough for children.

The panel van and pickup are slightly longer at 3.1m and have 300kg payloads.

Specification levels across the range are decent and include a touchscreen infotainment system, electric windows, digital instrument panel, reversing camera, air conditioning and daytime running lights.

The City Blitz feels nippy and accelerates quickly to its 80km/h top speed. Open-road driving is not on the menu but it has more than enough power to be a city hopper. Ride comfort seems acceptable and the brakes, front and rear discs, are strong.

There are no airbags but the City Blitz is built with a monocoque cage to provide safety in a rollover or collision.

EV Africa has also launched two electric scooters: the R44,900 City Buzz 1 and R59,900 City Buzz 2. The City Buzz 1 commuter has a 60km/h top speed and a 100km range, while the Buzz 2 delivery scooter ups those figures to 80km/h and a 120km range.

More information is available here.

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