Elme City EV

With the subsequent high inflation and the difficulties among the masses to accommodate the now doubled car prices, the market mainly focused on high end products, with most cars imported commanding seven; or even eight figure prices in some cases. Multiple attempts were made to capitalize on the issue and produce all new cars by local assemblers; however, these four-wheelers being so few in numbers have not made any significant impact in the local market. It is against such a backdrop that Elcardo Motor Engineering quietly launched its first car, and a locally assembled one at that.

First impressions

Approaching the Elme City EV, seasoned car enthusiasts will notice many similarities with existing models. It has a fresh and relatively modern look. When digging deep, you will soon discover that the lithium-ion battery is a contemporary underfloor design, and the motor is mounted on the rear axle! A lightweight, rear-wheel-drive, rear weight-biassed car moonlighting as a small city car? Now that is quite special. It brings to mind the last Renault Twingo and the Smart Forfour, whose similarities with the Chinese car, we are sure, are no coincidence. The specs are quite favourable; it is just a smidge smaller than the Alto 800 and, despite being burdened with heavy EV hardware, weighs just under 800 kg. This helps its 34kW motor - powered by a small 11 kWh battery stretch the range to a Nissan Leaf rivalling 205 km on paper.

Exterior

The Elme City EV is going for the retro-chic look we first witnessed with the new Mini and Fiat 500. The wheels are small. The high profile of the body along with the absence of a pronounced shoulder line make them look smaller than they are. But this is not meant to be an intimidating car, but rather one that puts people at ease and warms up to you, as evidenced by the younger road users who kept turning back to look at the car. The curvy shape will no doubt help the car stay relevant for several decades. The euro style pull-out door handles add to that chic look. The only major criticism here is the thickness of the window seals. Thinner seals with more flush-fitting glass would have matched the crispness of the rest of the interior. Mercifully, the two-tone paint job does a good job masking this.

Interior 

Step into the equally chic interior, and you are greeted with a large screen that extends from the driver to the center of the dash, like we see in top European cars. The car we tested had a cream and brick interior that was airy and refreshing. The seats, manufactured locally; were of decent quality for their class. The seats lacked bolstering, making it easy to get in and out of, and proved comfortable on long highway trips.

Instrumentation and features

Turn the key, and you are greeted with an array of information on the driver's display. The estimated range, batter percentage, and instantaneous energy consumption were all present. Noticeably absent was the total energy consumption for the trip and energy consumption per km, which would certainly be appreciated by EV enthusiasts and hyper-milers alike. The array of information was also of the same text size and was arranged randomly around the digital speedometer with no other settings to clear up the display or to present the information in a different format. A bar graph or some simulated gauges to display some of the information would be a welcome addition for the keen drivers. Furthermore, while the screen dominated the length of the dash, when powered up, it only lit up in two areas: the driver instrumentation and the infotainment system. Elcardo officials stated that they will be improving the instrumentation in production models to offer more attractive display arrangements.

A welcome option was the tyre pressure monitoring system, which was a rotation-based one. While slow to respond to pressure drops, it will certainly serve as a good safety feature and help in improving the longevity of tires. Another much-welcome feature was the rear fog lamp, which we put to good use on the highway in the recent bouts of torrential rain.

The windows were all powered with an auto function when lowering. The doors, which had no physical locks on the inside, locked automatically at speeds above 20 km/h and were unlocked on the second pull of the inner door handle, like in a premium Euro. The rear child locks would contain the cheeky kids in the car. 

The most notably absent feature was the lack of power mirrors, which was further exacerbated by the absence of manual adjuster knobs on the inside. This was probably the biggest shortcoming for a car with so much equipment. The lack of keyless entry also reminded us that this was an entry-level EV, but all door locks, including the hatch, can be opened using the switchblade-style remote. On this, Elcardo officials informed the writer that they are working with the parent company to add manual mirror adjusters to the interior for future models.

Practicality

The city EV is a strict four-seater. The absence of a centre seatbelt proves it. The boot space is adequate for a car this size. The child seat anchors in the middle of the boot floor were not ideal. But with most families opting for child seats secured by seatbelts, this shouldn’t be a problem. 

The glovebox was well engineered with a lock on either side, but it was small in size. The centre console had no lid and was enough for just a phone and wallet. Door pockets were available at the front, and while not running the length of the door, they were spacious. Only two cup-holders were available for the entire car. 

The one thing you wouldn’t be left wanting is leg space. With no transmission tunnel and no engine and gearbox at the front, there was plenty of room to stretch legs at the front and back. This, combined with the short centre console and the lack of a gear lever, also allows the driver and passenger to scoot over without having to exit the car. The small wheel wells made minimal intrusions into the cabin.

Being a rear-motor electric car, one might expect the car to have a ‘frunk’. Upon removing the lift-off bonnet, we were greeted with a big AC compressor and other bare mechanical components. There was some room to fit a cargo tray to carry a duffle bag or two. But the company maintains that this is a high voltage, service only area that shouldn’t be accessed by users.

Driving

Behind the wheel, you are immediately presented with a fixed steering wheel position. While par for the course on an entry-level car, it takes some getting used to at this new adjusted for inflation price range. Another such option that we missed on this pre-production car was a dead pedal, which will be available in the series production models, as informed by Elcardo officials.

Like with most EV's, engaging drive, on the large push button selector on the dash, and releasing brakes, the car doesn’t creep forward. In fact, on an uphill gradient, it will gently roll back in gear. The absence of a hill-hold function was felt here. To get the Elme moving, we had to depress the accelerator pedal a long way down. It took some getting used to, as we initially found ourselves sitting at green lights with the throttle gently depressed, wondering if drive was engaged. Once off, the power builds gently. There is no burst of sudden, unexpected torque when you tap the pedal. The small power display shows the kilowatts building as you hold the power pedal down. This sort of programming reduces the need for traction control and increases the longevity of drivetrain components, but may frustrate some eager drivers initially.

Then on, it was all good news. The motor is rated at 102 Nm. On a car that weighs under 800 kilos, that is well above average. The easiest way to wrap your head around this figure is to imagine that the car is powered by a petrol engine no smaller than 1.2 litres, with the added advantage of peak torque available at any speed. The standard Eco mode limited the power to 14 kW but kept the car and its three occupants moving at a fairly decent pace around the city. In this mode, the top speed is limited to 62 km/h. Most ordinary drivers around town would be fairly happy with the performance offered in this setting. The sports mode did not change the character of the car off the line, but as the power figure started moving past the 14 kW mark, the car started changing its character. The overall sensation was that of having an old-fashioned turbocharged engine. Throttle response was slow, but after a while, you learn to accommodate for the power buildup. At higher speeds, throttle response was sharper. Overtaking on the highway and out of town speeds the car picks up speed briskly and quietly, putting some bigger, more expensive cars to shame. At these speeds, the Elme was a real joy to drive.

The steering was quick and precise, with plenty of feel coming through the small, thick-rimmed steering wheel. Brakes were, however, on the woody side, with more pedal pressure being needed to stop quickly and smoothly, which took some getting used to.

Being a tall car with small wheels, we were eager to test the high-speed stability of the car. On the highway, the car was planted and was not affected much by crosswinds. Our high-speed emergency lane change test did not inspire a lot of confidence, with some body roll and slight wandering about. However, it is not a bad result for a vehicle in this class.

Efficiency

The Elme City is one of the most economical cars to run with a full charge, only consuming fifteen electricity units in the four or so hours it takes. That equates to around 1200 rupees per top-up on the highest tariffs. Which means that at commercial rates, it will work out much cheaper. The per-kilometre cost ranges between four and ten rupees, making it probably the cheapest form of transportation available. It gets even better if you pair the car with a solar system, which essentially has the capacity to bring fuel bills to zero, not counting the initial investments.

On our extended highway test, at reasonable highway speeds, the Elme was averaging 0.07 kW per km. With a mix of city, highway driving, and some performance tests, including prolonged periods spent at top speed, we still had just under half a battery remaining, averaging around 0.12 kWh/km.

Safety

When presented with the prospect of a small car from a new or lesser-known manufacturer, safety is a major concern. We are happy to report that the Elme has been subjected to crash tests in China as well as independent tests performed by the National Engineering Research and Development Centre (NERD) for a whole year, where the car has performed exceptionally well.

Apart from the built-in crash safety, the car comes with ABS, EBD, and driver and passenger airbags at the front.

Build quality and after-sales

The car we tested was the first of 10 cars assembled locally, with just 100 km on the clock. Given the lesser-known nature of the manufacturer, we were keen to test for any squeaks or rattles, of which we found none.

The dash, which was locally manufactured, was the only serious point of contention. The texture up close was not uniform across the dash, and so were the gaps between different panels on it. The outer vents of the dash were fixed, although they appear to be adjustable. We were assured by Elcardo officials that they would take measures to improve the quality as production ramped up.

Being an EV, the only systems that require fluid changes are the differential and the brakes. For this, Elcardo has partnered with Auto Miraj to provide after-sales services for Elme City. With its islandwide network of garages, Elme City buyers can rest assured that their cars can be serviced anywhere in the country.

The Elme City also comes with a 5-year warranty for the car, including the battery. With substantial parts like whole battery packs in stock, buyers will have peace of mind knowing there will be little to no downtime in the event of a warranty claim.

Elcardo has plans to bring the battery manufacturing in-house, and possibly switch over to a lithium-phosphate battery. Customers of older cars, regardless of the battery type, can get the latest battery type fitted through Elcardo should a replacement be required.

Price

Elcardo has priced the Elme City EV at 5.5 to 6 million rupees. The company further emphasises how they plan on increasing the local value addition of the car to reduce duty on its semi-knockdown kits. Their goal is to hit a low 4 million rupee price figure in the near future, which is a real possibility with battery production done locally.

6 million rupees, or, even with the price drop, 4.5 million, may seem like a lot of money for a small city car. However, bearing in mind the jump in foreign currency of 50% and subsequent inflation during the period of the import ban for cars, Elme City is right on the money.

Conclusion

The introduction of the Elme City EV gives Sri Lankan motorists perspective on two major events: China is now capable of manufacturing cars that can challenge the status quo in any segment, and thanks to high inflation, we now have to cough up over 5 million to buy a brand-new entry level car.

The Elme City is one of the most honest city cars we have had the pleasure of testing. It does not make a lot of promises, yet it delivers so much. We enjoyed the funky, youthful nature of the car. The packaging is well thought out, and the car offers leg room that rivalled much bigger cars. The dynamics are what truly sets the car apart from its combustion-engined competitors. Performance is comparable to cars several classes above it. All this, combined with the extremely low running costs, makes the Elme City one of the best city cars available on the market.