Slow And Steady: 3 Sensible EVs We Hope To See On Singapore Roads Right Now

The concept of speed when it comes to electric vehicles (EVs) might polarise opinions. One could argue that all EVs feel fast, given that they offer instantaneous tap-and-go performance primarily due to the way the motor is controlled by electric currents, enabling instant torque unlike internal combustion engines.

Are there “slower” EVs that are down on horsepower, lighter, constructed with less expensive materials but more importantly, able to be priced competitively and still feel suitable for Singapore roads? It’s a real possibility, given how manufacturers have seemingly hauled most of their efforts to spearhead electrification in every possible category.

At time of writing, these cars are not available in the Singapore market yet, but we are not striking off the possibility of potentially quirky EV shipments orchestrated by parallel importers. It must be mentioned though that cheap and sensible EVs do have limitations when applied in Singapore’s context, due to the taxes predominantly upheld by the COE structure. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!

This Dacia EV cannot be taken lightly when we know that this has been engineered to challenge the extremely competitive Chinese market. The Dacia Spring is a compact SUV that is offered in petrol, diesel, hybrid and full EV formats. But we’re here for the EV variant, and it excels in an area you might find boring but we figured that it can be highly intriguing - it weighs comfortably less than 950kg thanks to a tiny 26.8 kWh battery. With less weight to lug around, it can still afford to swallow 300-litres of storage in the boot. A range of 170km might sound comical, but this could be the perfect grocery getter for our local roads!

We’re not referring to the 5-speed manual Twingo tuned by Renaultsport that could be specced with a cup chassis back in 2008. Fast forward and the Twingo Electric now serves a wider audience, tuned for optimal city driving. It packs a 21.3 kWh battery good for 130km of range, and “sprints” to 100km/h in 12.6 seconds. It does not sound encouraging on paper, but its cute, minimalist aesthetics alone could win hearts. It could be an underdog for the local market if priced competitively.

At first glance, this cute little hatch looks like a combination of Nissan Figaro’s front and Honda EK9’s rear. We’re glad that this looks nothing like MINI as one could easily perceive this as a “knock off”. We have been seeing more of these roaming the narrow streets of Bangkok. Base-spec packs a 47.8kWh battery, which charges to 80% in 30 minutes. With a range of 400km, it should be a fuss free compact hatch for quick market runs. It was priced similarly to the HR-V / Nissan Kicks in Thailand in 2021, but EV-related incentives by the government pushed its price around 10% lower this year. Could Chinese manufacturer Great Wall Motor (GWM) make its move towards the Singapore market?

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Credits: Gerald Yuen