The Eleksa CityBug: SA’s current cheapest EV
This is the year to start peaking your attention to the electric vehicle (EV) market in South Africa as many products, including this Eleksa CityBug, will be arriving. This particular car is now the cheapest EV in South Africa with a retail price of R230 000.
We can start expecting to see many luxury ECs from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz but they, and all the other EVs in SA, have the same problem. They are very expensive. This is something that the Chinese Eleksa CityBug is not, but is this little vehicle worth considering?
It’s not the EV you are going to show off.
With a very standard box design, this little EV isn’t going to turn any heads. However, that might not be a requirement for you. It’s a small 2 door four-passenger vehicle with 12-alloy wheels.
Inside, the cabin is decorated with fake leather upholstery with contrast stitching. That alone is quite the turn away for us as fake leather perishes terribly. Especially under our South African sun. There is also a tablet infotainment system with Bluetooth, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity. It will likely e what is used to display the sound system and reverse camera. Additionally, there are USB ports, air conditioning and electric windows.
The Eleksa CityBug may be the cheapest EV in South Africa but it’s also the slowest.
This is probably the biggest negative to the Eleksa CityBug. The car is powered by a 5 kW electric motor that’s hooked up to a 9 kWh battery. Now speed might not be your thing but when the top speed is 60 km/h, you won’t even make it out of the city.
The range is also rather limited capping out at 100 km, but buyers can opt for a 200 km version. As for your luggage, it will be able to carry up to 300 kg but that might limit your range. Charging on the other hand is incredibly quick. Just form a home port, it will take you about six hours to go from empty to full.
With all its limitations, this little EV will likely only be used for inner-city travel and then mostly only for delivery services. It’s not a bad option for that kind of driving but for anything other than that it falls way short. It may be worth waiting for the next cheap option to consider your next car.
