e.Go Life back in production

Next.e.GO Mobile has resumed production of the Life small electric car in Aachen after the manufacturer started selling the special edition e.GO Life Next in Germany in June. By the end of the year, 500 cars are to be built – some with a new charger.

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For the coming year, 2,500 units are planned. In 2023, the number of units could then rise to more than 10,000 cars annually. But the re-launch started with smaller numbers: At the end of last week, one car was finally accepted and driven out of the hall in a small ceremony attended by Aachen’s mayor Sibylle Keupen and the new chairman of the board of directors, Ali Vezvaei. Eighteen more copies are nearing completion, he said.

There are also plans to float Next.e.GO Mobile on the stock market in the USA or Europe within a year and to raise fresh capital in the order of 600 million euros. The money is to be used not only to finance the expansion to Mexico, but also the construction of another “micro factory” in Europe. Next e.GO Mobile hopes to announce construction at a “cost-competitive” location shortly. “We don’t need gigafactories for our car,” Vezvaei said.

As reported, the manufacturer had started selling the special edition e.GO Life Next in Germany in June. Since then, probably 100 orders have been received, although there have been no separate promotional activities.

In addition, three new models are being developed that are to be launched in the summer of next year. Two of the new cars are already finished and work on the third is already very far advanced, Vezvaei told the portal “Edison”. He did not want to give details yet, but hinted that the new models will be larger than the Life – but still remain small cars.

In addition to the production revival, the Life will also be developed further: An 11 kW onboard charger is to be installed before the end of this year, which should significantly reduce charging time: Until now, the 21.5 kWh power storage unit has been charged with a maximum of 3.7 kW. With the three-phase charger, the Life could be fully charged in around 30 minutes.

Update 08 July 2021: The search for a possible location for a factory in Europe has taken a more concrete turn: Next.e.GO Mobile is reported to be strongly considering Bulgaria. Citing a press briefing by Bulgaria’s Managing Minister of Economy Kiril Petkov, a media report states that the manufacturer is considering investing 140 million euros in a factory in Bulgaria. The contract is said to be in its final stages. The plan is to build a plant in Lowetsch by 2023 and create 1,000 jobs there.

edison.media, wdr.de (both in German), euractiv.com