“The list of successful auto start-ups is short,” says Tesla boss Elon Musk. In the end it didn’t necessarily get any longer. Insolvency, production stop and the company boss overboard: That was not only the case for Chinese newcomers like Byton, but also for e.Go Mobile from Aachen. In 2018, the founder Günther Schuh issued the formula for success: “We do pretty much everything differently than Tesla.” Back then, according to Musk’s own words, the Californians were in the middle of the production hell. Three years later, the start-up problems with the Model 3 have been overcome and Tesla is better off than ever with additional factories in Europe and China.
In Aachen, coping with the corona crisis did not go so smoothly. Despite a quarter of a century of production experience, CEO Schuh couldn’t prevent the start-up from running out of money. From the highest level of the stock market valuation at around one billion euros, it went steeply downhill into insolvency. The balance sheet was sobering: 800 cars delivered to customers, cash depleted and liabilities with suppliers. Perhaps even worse: The tough bankruptcy process lost a lot of time while the competition passed. After all, important suppliers such as Bosch and ZF did not give up, which enabled a quick restart with new investors. A new registration of the e.Go Life after the change of name and a one-year break also went smoothly. This so-called homologation by the authorities is generally considered to be one of the biggest hurdles for young manufacturers.
Now the test drives and production are starting again. But one year is long in the maddening times of transformation. The problem is the rapid advances in electric drives, battery chemistry and digitalization. And the e.Go Life with its concept from 2015 already seems a bit outdated. The idea of an environmentally friendly city runabout with a small battery has not caught on. Most customers expect more range and the comfort they are used to from corresponding combustion models. What the Life offers is more reminiscent of the pioneering days of e-mobility.
In the Next Edition, the car dwarf costs only 26,650 euros, minus government funding of 9,570 euros that is just under 17,000 euros. In return, customers only get a battery capacity of 21.15 kWh, which corresponds to a WLTP range of 125 kilometers. In winter, the radius is likely to drop below 100 kilometers, as with the first Smart Electric, which is at most enough for the very tough in city and commuting who save on heating. Even a new Mercedes C-Class plug-in hybrid has a larger battery. What would happen if the e.Go could be charged quickly. With the single-phase power supply, you have to have a night to feed the little one.
Plastic minimalism: the interior of the Life Next is pragmatic and sober, there are not many equipment options.
(Photo: e.GO)
You have to like the plastic-covered entry-level mobility, after all, unlike the Sono Sion, there are different cheerful exterior colors. But the dreary gray and the digital wasteland in the interior look old-fashioned. In this price league, for example, the 40 centimeter longer Dacia Spring, which can fill up with at least 22 kW (optionally 30 kW) of energy, also plays. In addition, its standard consumption of 13.9 kWh per 100 kilometers is well below the e.Go consumption of 18.3 kWh. Both small cars are lively in the city, but with a cost price of 20,490 euros (less than 11,000 with the electric bonus), the Dacia clearly has the stubby nose in front. It doesn’t get any cheaper because the dwarf car is produced in China and sold there as the Renault City K-ZE. Does the Aachen-based manufacturer, which plans to build around 10,000 electric vehicles a year, have a chance at all against the much larger competitors from Asia?
On the plus side is a small car that is astonishingly solid. There is not a lot of crumple zone left if the other party involved in the accident is taller and more massive. The aluminum structural frame and the steel spider in the roof pillars are state-of-the-art. Not a bad argument for a parking miracle that is 3.35 meters short. There is a surprising amount of space in the interior, in which four adults can also be transported.
However, the disadvantages of such a short wheelbase are clearly noticeable: on a test lap in Munich, the lively e.Go Life hops over all the ups and downs of the road surface. The built-in speed limit of 122 km / h doesn’t bother, because the unfiltered driving experience becomes uncomfortable on the autobahn. In the next year, the new owners want to improve: the suspension, the battery range and the digital equipment. A four-door model is also planned for 2023. Until then, the little one has an advantage that should not be underestimated: with a delivery time of just three months, it undercuts almost all competitors.