Tests on the first Russian electric car to possibly enter mass production are to be finished next month, with the vehicle having the possibility to hit the market by 2021.
A Kama-1 is going to be priced at around one million rubles ($13,000).
Designed by the National Technological Initiative (NTI) at St Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPBPU), the Kama-1 is referred to as a “compact urban smart crossover,” able to drive over 250km without a recharge. The vehicle was also constructed to withstand temperatures as low as -50 degrees. The designers plan to sell around 20,000 units annually.
“We have developed a fully-fledged passenger car, a compact crossover with a length of 3.4 meters and a width of 1.7 meters,” said Oleg Klyavin, Deputy head of the SPBPU NTI Center.
“The basic configuration includes a 33 kWh battery, which can cover up to 300 kilometers on a full charge when driving on the motorway,” Klyavin added.
Partnering with Russian truck manufacturer KAMAZ, the SPBPU engineers designed the automobile with largely domestically produced parts. The car will be showcased on December 10-11 in Moscow, as part of the 2020 Vuzpromexpo, a large exhibition displaying Russian scientific achievements.
In August, Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov declared that another electric car, the Zetta, was going to enter serial production. Manturov noted then that the vehicle’s certification was just 70 percent finished, but expected it to be finished by the end of the year. However, the producers plan to make deliveries of only 2,000 units in 2021.
