Next.e.GO Mobile announces sales launch of the e.wave X

German electric vehicle manufacturer Next.e.GO Mobile has started selling the e.wave X, the successor to the Life small electric car unveiled in May. The e.wave X can now be configured by pre-orderers at list prices starting at 24,990 euros. A cargo variant has also been announced.

With the activation of the configurator, more details about the e.wave X have become available. The model has a continuous output of 44 kW and a peak output of 86 kW. The manufacturer specifies a top speed of 135 km/h. The battery on board is exchangeable and has a gross energy content of 30.4 kWh, which should be enough for a 163-kilometre range, according to WLTP. Next.e.GO Mobile states an urban range of up to 250 kilometres. As announced in May, the successor to the e.Go Life comes with an 11 kW onboard charger, which is a significant improvement on the 3.6 kW charger installed in the previous model. The manufacturer puts consumption at 18.6 kWh/100 km according to WLTP.

As such, the e.wave X outperforms the e.Go Life on all counts. Production of the company’s debut electric vehicle was also discontinued in September. The success was moderate: all in all, only about 1,500 units are on the road.

The four-seated e.wave X is 3.36 metres long with an identical wheelbase of 2.2 metres, which is similar to its predecessor, but it is about 5 centimetres taller. The reason is that the manufacturer is aiming for an SUV-like look. The luggage capacity is given as 116 litres or 671 litres with the rear seats folded down.

While the exterior design remains essentially the same, the interior innovations are more conspicuous – for example, a new 23-inch display that controls the air conditioning, among other things. Basically, the e.wave X will come in three equipment lines – Native, Urban and Metropolitan – with prices starting at 24,990, 27,990 and 29,790 euros, respectively.

At the end of last year, Next e.GO Mobile announced the construction of battery swapping, but these were workshops and not automated, container-like swap stations like Nio’s. At the time, the vehicle had to be lifted and the battery was swapped manually by employees – and not automatically. The exchange process itself initially took 60 minutes. Battery swapping is planned for all three model variants, but only for ‘Urban’ and ‘Metropolitan’ is an automatic battery swap to be released “soon”. The cooperation with the US company Ample announced in the course of the Paris Motor Show suggests that the battery exchange should become more practicable. In all likelihood, the “soon to be available” automated battery exchange will also be based on a cooperation with Ample.

For the time being, however, only reservation holders will be allowed to use the configurator. “The first e.wave X vehicles to be produced are intended for customers who have reserved a vehicle since the early summer of this year,” says the manufacturer. There is therefore an “exclusive period” so that these customers can configure their vehicle and place a firm order. Following this, the e.GO sales configurator will be made available to everyone from 1 December 2022.

Meanwhile, e.GO has announced another vehicle at the Paris show – namely “a new compact electric vehicle for urban last-mile delivery”. From the press photos provided, however, the e.Xpress looks like a cargo variant of the e.wave X. Depending on the configuration, the model is supposed to offer a load volume of up to 940 litres and a gross payload of up to 240 kilograms. The company does not specify the range in the combined WLTP, but only in the city cycle – and that is 230 kilometres.

The e.Xpress also has an exchangeable battery on board. Thanks to the Ample cooperation, the swapping is supposed to be doable “within a few minutes”. Next.e.GO Mobile plans to offer the compact electric delivery van both for purchase including the battery and as a subscription model. Reservations for the e.Xpress will be possible from 2 November 2022.

prnewswire.com, e-go-mobile.com (configurator)