With Tesla's official entry into Singapore, quite a wave was stirred up among the EV enthusiasts, as well as any motorist who has the slightest interest in these electric cars here.
And it is easy to understand the excitement - Tesla cars are built with revolutionary technology, are feature-packed, environmentally-friendly, and very desirable to many. It's the sort of brand of cars you don't need, but want. But it isn't without its flaws, its minimalistic approach in design makes it lacking in flair. The quality of its interior and general fit and finish were also often compared with economical cars in the nineties.
What if I told you there are EVs out there that are on par, or even better than Tesla cars in certain aspects? Don't believe it? Well, read on and get ready to be impressed.
*All prices stated are according to the official websites of the respective cars, for their local market, converted to SGD.
1. Nio - ET7
The Nio ET7 is a futuristic EV that adopts a minimalistic yet attractive design. The exterior sports sleek and clean lines with sharp, narrow head lights and a gentle, smooth silhouette.
Inside, the clean design carries on with a large 12.8-inch floating infotainment screen taking centre stage. Quality materials, including Nappa leather and the Karuun Renewable Rattan are featured within the cabin, offering a comfortable space. Invisible smart air vents give the dashboard a true minimalistic quality that you don't often see.
Nio's Aquila Super Sensing features 33 high-performance sensing units including an ultra-long range high-resolution LiDAR. It is understood that the Nio ET7 is planned to feature autonomous driving features, aided by these high-tech equipment.
The ET7 will be available with a 150kWh solid-state battery that allows it to achieve an NEDC range of 1000km. It is expected to launch in 2022.
Range: 500km (70kWh) / 700km (100kWh) / 1000km (150kWh)
Power: 635bhp
Price: $93,997 (starting price)
Xpeng - P7
If you have been on China's TikTok equivalent, DouYin, you would probably have chanced upon videos of the Xpeng (Xiaopeng) P7. It is an EV that's lauded by many reviewers as a real rival to the Tesla Model 3.
With stylish classy executive sedan looks, and around the size of a BMW 5 Series, the P7, while often compared against the Model 3, is actually closer to the size of a Model S.
Like the Teslas, you'll get a futuristic interior with digital instrument panels, along with high quality material used throughout with minimalist design cues, such as the hidden air vents. The interior has often been complimented for its abundance of space.
There was even a limited edition version - the P7 Wing - which was equipped with electric scissor-style doors that can be unlocked with multiple ways including a mobile app. It seems like fancy doors is a prerequisite for exquisite Chinese EVs.
Range: 562km (4WD High Performance) - 706km (RWD Super Long Range - Smart trim)
Power: 263bhp (RWD) / 424bhp (4WD High Performance)
Price: $48,182 (RWD Long Range - Standard trim) / $85,905 (4WD High Performance - X-wings trim)
Lucid - Air
Unlike the other EVs mentioned here, Lucid Motors is an American company headquartered in Newark, California.
The Lucid Air fares really well in the looks department, in line with the trend of minimalism seen in modern EVs. It has been designed to achieve a low coefficient of drag while having one of the largest frunk among electric cars.
Lucid claims that the Air will be the quickest, longest range and fastest charging luxury electric car in the world, with variants that reaches a maximum horsepower of 1,065bhp and over 805km per charge. The Lucid Air will only require 20 minutes to be charged with enough juice for a 483km drive.
Inside, the Lucid air features a 34-inch 5K Glass Cockpit display, along with a 21-speaker Surreal Sound system. This EV will be launched in four variants, ranging from 473bhp to 1,065bhp.
Range: 653kms (Pure & Touring) / 810km (Grand Touring) / 832km (Dream Edition)
Power: 473bhp (Pure) / 612bhp (Touring) / 789bhp (Grand Touring) / 1,065bhp (Dream Edition)
Price: from $94,798 (Pure) / $118,668 (Touring) / $178,340 (Grand Touring) / $219,026 (Dream Edition)
BYD - Han EV
Most of us should be familiar with BYD as an electric car manufacturer - the first generation BYD e6 has been plying our roads as taxies and private-hire vehicles for quite some time.
The Han EV is part of the brand's Dynasty series, which are sold in China. The stylish design of the Han EV is reminiscent of Tesla, but with more complex lines and curves. It sure is quite a looker - it even won the 2021 iF Design Award.
Being the flagship EV of BYD, major effort has been poured into its development, resulting in a vastly different beast from the BYD EVs we get here. This includes its design, features and technology.
Like the new BYD e6 here, the Han EV features BYD's ultra-safe Blade Battery, which is much safer in adverse situations, such as the puncture of the battery cell from a foreign object. It also allows BYD's EVs to achieve an impressive range.
The Han EV is equipped with the brand's DiPilot Intelligent Driving Assistant System with Over-the-Air (OTA) updates as well.
It is available in a range of trim levels with the long-range version boasting an impressive range of 605km (NEDC), and the high-performance version packing all-wheel-drive and 487hp (363kW), allowing it to accelerate to 100kmh in just 3.9 seconds.
Range: 605km (Extended Range) / 550km (Flagship)
Power: 216bhp (Extended Range) / 480bhp (Flagship)
Price: $44,554 (Extended Range) / $54,334 (Flagship)
HiPhi - X
HiPhi is an electric car manufacturer in Shanghai, under the Human Horizons company. The HiPhi X is a luxury electric SUV with exquisite styling that feels in line with Jaguar's design language.
This might have something to do with Human Horizons' chief technical officer being Jaguar SVO division's former chief, Mark Stanton.
The HiPhi X is probably the most opulent electric SUV that is being offered in the market now. Offered in six-seater and four-seater limousine configurations, the HiPhi X features an outlandish door opening sequence at the rear by combining gull-wing doors on the top section (reminiscent of the Model X's Falcon wing doors) and suicide doors, creating a seven-door SUV.
In the driver and passenger seats, you are staring at a futuristic dashboard plastered from edge to edge with large high-definition displays.
It also features a customisable matrix lighting system, and projection head lights. There is even the option for a motorised champagne chiller for the rear passenger!
Range: 630km
Power: 264bhp (Single motor) / 528bhp (Dual motor)
Price: $139,910 (six-seater) / $164,360 (four-seater limousine)
In the market for a brand new EV? Check out the choices you have in Singapore.
