Battery Electric Vehicle technology goes mainstream in MG5

Supply and infrastructure issues are putting the brakes on the launch of many of the latest Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) for New Zealand – at least via new-vehicle distributors.

But the parallel-import trade is finding a niche of enthusiastic buyers for near-new BEVs sourced from right-hand countries like Japan and the UK.

We had a taste of that back in our May 1 issue with drives of the Honda e and Volkswagen ID.3 (watch the video at the top of the page) from Drive EV in Taupo – both models that we won’t see as NZ-new cars for at least another year… if at all.

Those cars typify what expect from the latest BEVs: they’re fashion-forward, a bit edgy. But BEV technology is also on the way to becoming mainstream, which is why we were interested to see Drive EV offering a number of MG5 models.

The MG5 is a small wagon that would suit a family or small business; a rival for the Toyota Corolla or Hyundai i30 wagons, if that helps put in in context. It just happens to be pure electric, with a generous 52.5kWh battery that’s good for a claimed 344km of range. It can be charged to 80 per cent in less than 50 minutes on a 50kW DC fast charger – or less than half an hour for a 50 per cent top-up, if you’re more in sync with the BEV way of running a car.

The BEV powertrain also allows packing flexibility for this small wagon that provides an impressive 587 litres of cargo space in five-seat mode, or 1456 litres with the seats folded down.

Peak outputs of 115kW/260Nm put the performance of the MG5 on par with other small wagons, although the typically strong low-down torque of a BEV means it’s especially perky from a standing start. MG claims 0-100km/h in 7.7 seconds.