In this episode, Fully Charged’s East Asian correspondent, Elliot Richards, took the opportunity to take Baojun’s bizarre-looking E300 out on the roads around Shanghai.
Beyond its initial appearance the driving experience and the technology is more feature-rich than we might have expected for a car that costs as little as $9,700. The E300 does have its shortcomings of course and the braking in particular came in for sharp criticism.
When it comes to core statistics the Baojun E300 Plus has a 31.9kWh battery, an NEDC range of 190 miles – not unrealistic when city-only driving – and can be fully charged from empty in one hour.
The E300 family has a synchronous fixed ratio gearbox and rear-engine layout, generating 40 kW of maximum power and 150 Nm of maximum torque. It has a top speed of 62 mph and supports DC fast charging, which enables it to be fully charged in one hour.
The E300 is 2,625 millimeters long, 1,647 millimeters wide and 1,588 millimeters high, and has a 1,750-millimeter wheelbase. It is available with a choice of two or three seats. The larger E300 Plus is 2,894 millimeters long, 1,655 millimeters wide and 1,595 millimeters high, and has a 2,020-millimeter wheelbase. It comes with four seats. Both have a McPherson independent suspension and double wishbone independent suspension design, for a comfortable ride.
