Russia will launch its first domestically-made electric car — Zetta (Zero Emission Terra Transport Asset) — in 2020, with its certification is in the final stages, Trade and Industry Minister Denis Manturov has confirmed, the state-run TASS news agency reported.
Zetta, which will be manufactured by Russian Engineering and Manufacturing Сompany (REMC), will be the first Russian electric car. It could run at up to 120km/h with a range of around 200 kilometers. The company will start production with an annual capacity of 15,000 units a year.
Previous reports indicated the retail price for the Zetta electric car would be around $7,000, which would make it the cheapest of its class in the world, on par with other sub-$10,000 models such as Renault City K-ZE and Ora R1.
Zetta will be produced in the capital of Russia’s car industry, Tolyatti, near Samara on the Volga river, which is also home to the country's largest carmaker AvtoVaz. REMC is a privately funded startup which was founded three years ago with an investment of around 450 million rubles ($7 million), CEO Denis Shurovsky said in an interview with the state-run RIA Novosti news agency.
The Zetta’s four in-wheel hub induction electric motors provide a nominal power of 46 horsepower and a peak of 97 horsepower. All of this will be powered by a 10 kilowatt battery that will give the Zetta its 200km range.
Production of Zetta will be 99% localized, its CEO said, with the only foreign component being the batteries imported from China. About two-thirds of cars produced in 2020 and 2021 are planned for export.
This article first appeared in bne IntelliNews.
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