Chinese manufacturers keep surprising us: this is Alibaba's electric van for 4,000 euros

Electric cars are vehicles that offer many solutions for sustainable mobility. But they have one problem: their price tends to be quite high. Chinese manufacturers, however, are surprising us with electric vehicles at very competitive prices. On the other hand, they do not have very high performance or range figures. But it doesn’t matter: they are vehicles designed to get around the city and they do not need much power or range to fulfil their main function.

In this case, it is the company Matrix Motors, a subsidiary of Alibaba, that has presented a van that has surprised us greatly. It is a compact electric vehicle, capable of being used for several purposes, and with a price that has left us astonished.
This model is designed for urban electric mobility, but it is very capable of handling last-mile delivery work, so it is very efficient.

Its dimensions are very compact, with a length of 3,490 mm, while its width is 1,465 mm. The height is 1,685 mm and its wheelbase reaches 2,350 mm, while its load capacity reaches 2,300 litres. This capacity can be increased to 2,600 litres if the passenger seat is removed and only the driver’s seat is left.

As for the powertrain, this model features an electric motor that offers only 15 kW, equivalent to 20 CV. Peak torque is rated at 90 Nm and the battery has a capacity of 10.36 kWh, which allows a range of 120 kilometres, although under the CLTC cycle. These are not remarkable figures, but they make it suitable for use in the city.

The charging capacity of that battery is 3.3 kW. This means the battery can be fully charged in four hours. As for the price, this small electric vehicle is offered on the Chinese market for 29,800 yuan, which is the equivalent of 4,000 euros. Curiously, it is an update of a model launched in 2021 which, interestingly, was considerably more expensive than this updated version.

This is because production costs have been reduced, and this has influenced the final price of the vehicle. This vehicle will offer a four-wheeled option compared with three-wheeled vehicles, which tend to be very popular, mainly because of their price. With this type of electric vehicle, things can be improved in this respect.