Mazibuko, the South African automotive start-up is busy making South Africa’s first electric bakkie and they have called it M1B. This is a very ambitious move that makes a whole ton of sense. South Africa has a huge demand for pick-ups while all the current electric start-ups have put their focus elsewhere.
It would make a lot of sense since our country doesn’t have the infrastructure to support EVs, but it won’t be like that forever. Here’s what we know about the Mazibuko M1B.
South Africa’s Mazibuko M1B is still a long way away from production.
The design is not new to the electric pick-up world, but it’s still a likeable direction. The font-end is clean and features LEDs that run right along the front and wrap around the headlights. At the back, the taillights follow a similar shape but are more square.
Right now all we have are computer-generated images. So the final design could still differ, but it will likely stay close to what we see in the images.
Mazibuko Motors has developed a new MMC EV Platform for the M1B. It supports both Unibody and Body-on-Frame which implies that the brand has much more than electric pickups in mind for their future. This platform uses a skateboard type energy storage layout, much like that of Volkswagen.
The two electric motors that power all four wheels get their energy from a 120 kWh battery pack. This will give very impressive figures according to Mazibuko:
- 500 kW and 1300 Nm.
- 0 to 100 km/h in five seconds.
- 400 km of range.
- 165 mm of ground clearance.
Right now, there is no schedule for when the Mazibuko M1B will go into production. As of now, the company is still looking for further funding for the electric bakkie, part of which we assume is for the infrastructure to keep them running on the roads.
As a local car manufacturer, we are incredibly excited to see them succeed. What do you think of their bakkie?
Source: Mazibuko Motors