That’s no typo. Yes, I managed to travel to Tagaytay and back—a total of 215 or so kilometers spending just P 167 on fuel. With today’s record high fuel prices, this may seem like an impossible task, but believe me, it’s possible when you’re using an electric vehicle.
My weapon of choice is this: the Weltmeister W5. The company is the brainchild of former Geely executive Freeman Shen, and founded just in 2015. As a young company, Weltmeister or WM, for short, quickly grew and can now produce 100,000 units annually.
Locally, WM is executively distributed by WM Philippines, itself no small fry. It’s part of the Transnational Diversified Group (TDG) which includes logistics, ship management, travel and tourism, real estate, renewable energy, and business process outsourcing as its businesses.
Enough of the history lesson, let’s talk about the car. The WM W5 runs on a 217 horsepower (160 kW), 315 Nm of torque permanent magnet synchronous motor connected to a 52 kWh battery. By comparison, this is larger than the Nissan Leaf (40 kWh) and roughly the same as a Tesla Model 3 (54 kWh). This gives the W5 a cruising range of around 400 kilometers.
Now, what makes the W5 ultimately interesting is that it can be plugged straight into a conventional household socket with no modifications to your household’s electrical system. Provided that the outlet is rated at 16 amps, it can be fully charged in about 14 hours. For more permanent W5 owners though, there is a bundled 7kW wall charger which cuts the charging time to 8.4 hours. There’s even a DC fast charging port once the local charging infrastructure is in place.
Compared to a full tank of gas which costs about P 3,000 nowadays, charging the W5 costs just P 520 (assuming a P 10 per kWh MERALCO charge). Given I drove 215 kilometers, that cost me just P 279 (27.95 kWh consumed on the W5). However, because my house runs on solar power, charging the W5 is practically free (for as long as I do it when the sun’s out). Plus, because I’m on a net metering plan, I actually sell back excess power back to MERALCO, and based on my actual usage, I sold back around P 111.80. The end result? I racked up just P 167.20 on “fuel” expense for that round trip to Tagaytay.
Even without the added benefit of solar power or net metering, P 520 for a full tank of fuel sounds great right about now. By comparison, a conventional gas-powered car doing 15 km/L will cost P 1,150, while even the most efficient hybrid will still rack up around P 860.
A full review of the 2022 Weltmeister W5 will come real soon, but if you want to check it out for yourself, WM Philippines is now offering public test drives (sign up here). You can check out the full specs below as well.
2022 Weltmeister W5 Specifications
- Range: 400 kilometers
- Overall Length: 4,585 mm
- Overall Width: 1,835 mm
- Overall Height: 1,672 mm
- Wheelbase: 2,703 mm
- Ground Clearance: 174 mm
- Trunk Volume: 488 to 1,500 liters
- Drag Co-Efficient: 0.30
- 0 to 100 km/h: 8.3 seconds
- Model: G1E316
- Brand: TAFEL
- Type: Ternary Lithium
- Capacity: 52 kWh
- Waterproof Grading: IP68
- Battery Crash Power Off Protection
- Battery Pack Cooling
- Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor
- Maximum Output: 217 horsepower (160 kW)
- Maximum Torque: 315 Nm
- Power Take Off: Eco/Sport
- Energy Recovery: Normal/Strong
- DC Charging Time: 35 minutes (30 to 80 percent)
- AC Charging Time: 8.4 hours (6.6 kW)
- AC Charging Time: 14-16 hours (220-volt outlet)
- Front Wheel Drive
- Front MacPherson Strut Suspension
- Rear Torsion Beam Axle
- Electric Power Steering w/ Standard/Sport Mode
- Tilt/Telescopic Adjustment
- Front Ventilated Disc Brake
- Rear Solid Disc Brake
- Electronic Parking Brake w/ Auto Hold
- 6 SRS Airbags
- Tire Pressure Monitoring System
- ABS + EBD
- Electronic Stability Program
- Hill Start Assist
- Hill Descent Control
- Front & Rear Parking Sensors
- 360-degree Camera
- Blind Spot Detection
- Lane Departure Warning
- Cruise Control
- LED Exterior Lights
- Manual Adjustable Headlight Height
- Automatic Headlights
- Steering Assist Lighting
- Rear Fog Lamp
- Electric Hidden Door Handle w/ Light
- Automatic Folding Side View Mirrors
- 225/55R18
- Panoramic Sunroof
- Power Tailgate
- Interactive Luminous Logo
- External Noise Alert
- Multi-function Steering Wheel Controls
- Front & Rear LED Reading Lights
- Rotary Electronic Gear Selector
- Black PVC Seating Material
- 60/40 Split-Folding Rear Seat
- 6-way Power Adjust Driver’s Seat
- 4-way Power Adjust Front Passenger Seat
- On-board Computer
- Dual Zone Climate Control w/ Rear Vents
- Integrated Dashcam
- 15.6-inch HD Touchscreen w/ 4 Speakers
- Bluetooth Hands-Free, Audio Streaming
how much the srp of the unit?
ReplyDeleteBallpark figure is P 2.6 to 2.7 million. Still not yet final.
DeleteAround the same price as the Nissan Leaf..
DeleteYup. Leaf's advantage is the brand and proven tech. The W5 is size and range.
DeleteNice one on the Solar Power and Net Metering Uly!
ReplyDeleteYeah...I'm getting ready for the EV lifestyle hahaha.
DeleteMe...f chinese EV brand im still in doubt. maybe f its a jap or european brand, but tesla will do...LOL
DeleteSo you're going with the Solterra then? haha! Great! I hope in a few years i can jump to the EV lifestyle as well.
DeleteIf they bring in the version with the solar panel roof and no yoke steering wheel, I just might LOL.
DeleteLol. Will wait for your personal review in the future then for the Solterra!
DeleteI'm going to settle for HEV or PHEV for now. Waiting for that DTI move to scrap the tax on EV's so the car dealers can act appropriately - bring in more EV cars, lower the price and/or maintain price but load it up specs wise.
So hoping Toyota responds and brings in the RAV4 Prime or Kia and Hyundai brings in their PHEV TOTL versions.
EVs make sense if you already have an ICE car in the garage (which I do). But for those who don't have access to a charging port, or is a single-car household, HEVs, PHEVs are the way to go.
DeleteAnd yes, agree on the tariff. I've got a feeling there was some intense lobbying to remove the EV incentives at the last minute.
Sir how about the warranty and can you give is some thoughts?i have read something online about a news of this company..after the update there units can only travel about 270km per full charge. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteBumper to bumper is 5 years and 100,000 kilometers if I remember right. Battery is 8 years and 160,000 kilometers.
DeleteCurrently driving it in the city, and the consumption has gone up a bit. It's registering 28 kWh for 100 kilometers (average) so that figure may be true.
Hm
ReplyDeleteUly, you should be commissioned to present an ROI re savings vs incremental cost of buying this EV over an ICE
ReplyDeleteI can certainly do that. Maybe this weekend.
DeleteFor me for now am ok wd hybrid, they hav already proven dear reliability. But for EV maybe in a 5years time (by dat tym it already hav longer range, reliability n affodable na.)
ReplyDeleteBuy a toyota fortuner then ubusin mo 600k mo s gas ilang taon kaya aabutin yan?
ReplyDeleteThe main issues of all china EVs are reliability and Spare parts availability. Yes you can save much in the first three years of used but in the Long run you will lose much more. It's not value for money. Better Stick to Gas fed engine.
ReplyDeleteIt has junk resale value
ReplyDeleteI'll probably start with a hybrid muna lol.....
ReplyDeleteIf a made in China BEV is already priced at P2. 6M, I wonder how much will competitors like Toyota bZ4X, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, Volkswagen ID4, etc. be priced when launched locally?
ReplyDeleteHow does the EV Bill help in terms of pricing?
ReplyDeleteAny idea what type of transmission will it have? If I'm not mistaken this is EX5 PRO in China
ReplyDeleteYes. It's known as the EX5 Pro in China. It uses a single reduction gear like other EVs.
Delete