¡¾Why I Bought It¡¿
Gas-powered cars are too expensive. I travel about 50 kilometers to and from work every day. Calculating at 0.6 yuan per kilometer, it costs 30 yuan a day. So I decided to buy an electric car as a commuter vehicle, with a budget of less than 50,000 yuan. Actually, I always wanted to buy a Panda Mini, a Klever, or a Corn EV. In the end, the Panda Mini and the Nano made it to the final selection. After all, fast charging is something you may not need, but it's a must-have (now I really think it's great because I haven't installed a charging pile yet and can only charge at external charging stations). The Panda is good in every way except for its small size, while the Nano has a poor build quality, but it seems to have a larger interior space. So I finally chose the Nano Box. At that time, I thought the large space would allow me to pick up carpoolers on my commute, but I haven't done so since I got the car because the electricity cost is so low. It's completely different from my previous gas-powered car, where I felt like I was wasting money on gas if I didn't pick up carpoolers.
¡¾Build Quality and Driving Experience¡¿
I actually think it's okay and not as bad as many people say online. Electric cars are quite convenient to drive. Some people say it has a plastic feel and others say it's ugly. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I think a car at this price range is already quite good. It's true that the configuration is a bit sparser compared to the Panda and other models, such as the lack of storage space and rear window switches. But I can accept these drawbacks. After all, most of the time, I'm the only one in the car, and I only occasionally carry my parents or friends. I basically drive this car to and from work by myself every day.
¡¾Charging Issues¡¿
I have a parking space at home and am applying to the State Grid for an electricity meter so I can install a charging pile. In the meantime, I bought a portable charging gun. I'll figure out the rest after the meter is installed. There's a charging station just a few minutes' walk from my home. After 11 p.m. every night, the electricity costs 0.5 yuan per kilowatt-hour, which is very cost-effective. It only costs about 7 - 8 yuan to charge the car from 20% to 100%.
¡¾The following is my travel experience from Yibin to Chengdu and back during the Dragon Boat Festival, which can perfectly illustrate the performance of this car. One-way is over 300 kilometers.¡¿
¡¾Yibin - Chengdu¡¿ (3 people)
It was my first time driving this electric car on the highway, and I had no experience. I didn't plan my route and charging points in advance. I started with a 50% charge. By the time I reached the first service area, there was only enough charge for 50 kilometers left. I was a bit excited about driving on the highway for the first time and kept driving at the maximum speed. When I reached the service area, the charge was down to 7%. The car can reach a maximum speed of about 105 kilometers per hour. It can reach 108 - 109 kilometers per hour going downhill, but I've never reached 110. When I reached the first service area, it showed that the performance was limited. Charging at the first service area was normal. Sometimes, with a full charge, I can reach the second service area, but by then, the car seems to lose power, and it keeps showing that the performance is limited and can't go fast. The charging speed at the service area is also affected. It feels like there's no fast charging at all. It took an hour to charge from 35% to 80%. It took me seven hours to reach Chengdu, and I charged the car four times along the way. I also asked the after-sales service about how to deal with the performance limitation, but they didn't give me any advice. Anyway, after this first long - distance highway trip to Chengdu, I decided never to take this car on long trips again. This car is okay for trips within a 100 - kilometer radius. On this all - highway trip to Chengdu, the range was basically cut in half, and I didn't even dare to turn on the air - conditioner.
¡¾Chengdu - Leshan¡¿ (1 person)
After parking the car in Chengdu overnight, the performance limitation was lifted. During my two - day stay in Chengdu, I found that the power consumption and cost were really low. The daily parking fee was even more expensive than the electricity cost. On my way back, since I had plenty of time and wanted to stop by Leshan, I took the provincial roads instead of the highway. The distance was about the same as the highway, around 170 kilometers, and the range was about 90% of the stated range. Since I only had a range of 150 kilometers when I set off, I stopped in Meishan to charge to 80%, which only took half an hour. Then I followed the navigation on provincial and rural roads and climbed over a mountain. There were other routes, but I wanted to try this mountain road. I really felt the lack of power when climbing the mountain. The road was very narrow, only wide enough for one car. Maybe it was a remote area, and there were no oncoming cars the whole way. When I reached Leshan, there was still 40% of the charge left. I charged it to 100% in Leshan and then drove back to Yibin with a friend.
¡¾Leshan - Yibin¡¿ (2 people)
After the first highway experience, I drove on the highway this time, keeping the speed at 80 kilometers per hour. It was already midnight, and there were no cars on the highway. I turned on the air - conditioner the whole way, and the range was basically 80% of the stated range. When I reached the first service area charging station, I thought I could make it to the next one as I still had a 50% charge and the next service area was only 40 kilometers away. But I was worried that the range would be cut in half, so I charged it to 80%. My worry was unfounded. By the time I reached the second service area, I only used 30% of the charge. I charged it to 80% again and still had 40% left when I got back to Yibin. In the end, I found that driving at 80 kilometers per hour with the air - conditioner on, the range can maintain 80% without any problem.
