29 Dec 2021 1 861

Kalina EV - why didn't the project go?

The first Russian serial electric car The Lada Ellada, built on the basis of the Kalina, was shown to the public in 2011. The cost of development was 10 million dollars with a minimum price of 1,25 million rubles. Where is the electric car now?

The fate of the project

Already in advance, they found practical application for the novelty: an agreement was concluded with the administration of the Stavropol Territory for the supply of about 100 cars to the local taxi fleet. An agreement was concluded with the Finns on the construction of charging stations. And what is the result? Disagreements began between the leadership of the city and the taxi company, because of which only 5 cars were paid in Stavropol (and then 50% of the cost) and 3 stations were built. Over the next couple of years, electric cars traveled 50-70 thousand km. Cars were operated in a warm region - the Caucasus, Mineralnye Vody, Kislovodsk, Stavropol.

A batch of 100 units was nevertheless released. Of these, 40 were handed over to dealers in the Central and Southern regions of the Russian Federation, first for testing, and then they were sold at cost (960 thousand rubles). It is known that the head of Russian Technologies Chemezov, Manturov (Ministry of Industry and Trade) and even the King of Jordan became the owners of Lada Ellada. Another 60 units remained in AvtoVAZ and their further fate is very vague. Some still managed to sell even below cost, mainly to employees of the plant. Buying electric cars made sense, and here's why:

✅ the price was reduced to 750 thousand rubles
✅ the cost of a "full tank" in those years was 50 rubles.
✅ charging time from a household network is 8 hours, when using a 3-phase power source - 1,5 hours
✅ in families, the car was “listed” as a second car for traveling around the city

Another study was conducted on the effect of tires on energy consumption. It turned out that installing the "right" tires increases mileage car up to 30 km. But these are only the positive aspects. There were many complaints regarding the negative aspects. The electric car drove normally up to a speed of 60 km/h, and then it began to "slow down": acceleration to 100 km/h took 15 seconds. This is not even comparable with the 8-valve "eight". There were other disadvantages that users noted:

✅ reduction of the power reserve at sub-zero temperatures by 2 times
✅ unreliability of the gear of the reducer, cut off when the engine is braked
✅ frequent breakdowns of the digital dashboard
✅ maintenance and warranty denials

Driving style, use of music (subwoofer, amplifier), lighting, heated seats and heater have a strong influence on the number of kilometers traveled on a single charge. If you turn on everything at once, the mileage of an electric car can be reduced to 45-60 km.

This is what the gas tank looks like. Photo: Youtube. com

What's under the hood

Initially, they planned to install domestic batteries from the Liotech enterprise, but in the end they preferred the manufacturer Thunder Sky (PRC), which offered more compact lithium-iron-phosphate batteries:
- ✅ total weight (a pair of pieces) is 240 kg
- ✅ service life 3000 charge/discharge cycles
- ✅ average range of 150 km (set to a maximum of 205 km on the track)
The motor and related electronic equipment (controller, etc.) are made in Switzerland. The engine is cooled by a regular "Kalinovsky" radiator. Batteries are placed partially under the hood, the rest - in place of the exhaust system and gas tank. Access to the battery is carried out from the passenger compartment through the rear seat. The "reserve" is in its place, that is, the usable volume has remained intact.

Under the hood - little is familiar. Photo: Youtube. com

Salon

Here, almost everything, as in the usual "Kalina". But the gear shift knob was replaced by a shortened selector (forward, neutral, back), instead of a tachometer, an ammeter was placed on the instrument panel. The air conditioner switch gave way to an electric heater button. The noise of a running engine is not heard, but all the creaks and knocks “innate” from the factory “creep” out.

Inside, everything resembles the usual Kalina. Photo: Youtube. com

Driving features noted by car owners

The car began to go much smoother when compared with the gasoline "relative". Handling has also improved markedly. All this is due to the changed (gone down) center of gravity and the increased mass of the car. The car showed itself especially well on icy winding climbs with high-altitude drops. The car is free to turn.

However, in the case of a trip through a mountainous area, drivers notice a rollback of the car when stopping on a hill. That is, there is no Parking mode, like in cars with automatic transmission, and you have to put the equipment on the “handbrake” or keep it on the rise with the help of low gas or the brake pedal. The car has a recovery system for recharging the battery on the go. And, according to users, you have to get used to it. When braking, a kind of “step” is formed: first it is carried out with the help of the engine, and only then regular mechanisms come into operation.

Competitors 2013

At that time, Volkswagen e-Up, Nissan Leaf, Smart Electric Drive and others could compete with Lada Ellada. All of them lost to Kalina in price, but in terms of technical characteristics they were equal to it or slightly better.

Volkswagen e Up

Front-wheel drive compact city electric car. When compared with Kalina, it does not shine with special technical advantages:
- ✅ top speed 130 km/h
- ✅ without recharging, the car travels almost 150 km (at night in cold weather, the range drops to 75 km)
- ✅ charging time from a household socket 220 V - 10 hours, when using the built-in device - 6 hours
The cost of Volkswagen e-Up is 23 thousand euros. In fact, this is an electric version of the gasoline compact city car of the Up series.

City electric compact Volkswagen e-Up. Photo: Youtube. com

Nissan Leaf

The most popular in the Russian Federation was then considered the "Japanese", the price of which was 3 million 400 thousand rubles. In terms of technical characteristics, it approximately corresponded to Kalina. The same power reserve, charging time, maximum speed (159 km / h) and run up to “hundreds” (11,9 seconds). The weight of the used lithium-ion batteries is 300 kg. The car quietly gives out 109 "horses", which are available at any number of revolutions. Users note that the thrust of this car is comparable to a gasoline three-liter V6 model.

Popular in the Russian Federation Nissan Leaf. Photo: Youtube. com

smart electric drive

A compact two-seater car for driving around the city. Equipped with a 15 kWh battery. This allows you to travel 145 km on one charge. The car comes with a special device that restores the battery in about 1 hour. The cost of the electric car is 19 thousand euros.

Compact Smart Electric Drive on the go. Photo: Youtube. com

Will Lada Ellada replace petrol cars?

It cannot be unequivocally said that this electric car is an ideal vehicle for the city. If you drive it to work, study, to the store and kindergarten, then it is quite an acceptable option as the second car in the family. But professionals have a slightly different opinion. And the main disadvantage, according to the taxi drivers who participated in the testing, is to reduce the power reserve at a negative temperature. And this is what they say in the warm Stavropol Territory! And then what will they say in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Murmansk or Novosibirsk? That is, it is difficult to make money by driving an electric car: you need to constantly keep in mind the number of remaining kilometers - it is unlikely that the client will agree to wait an “extra” half an hour until the battery is recharged. In addition, there is practically no developed network of stations in Russia, excluding megacities. It remains to be hoped that the experience gained by the "VAZ" will benefit them and the following models of electric cars will be more "survivable" and in demand.