| How to Save Money by Greener Driving |
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| Green Car
Guide |
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Road test
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| G-Wiz (AC drive) |
14 December 2006 |
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Electric
£8299
2+2 seater city car
           
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Background:
Brought to you by Goingreen, this is a plastic car made in India. There are already around 700 in London, with celebrity owners including Jonathan Ross and Bamber Gascoigne. The new AC drive version offers a longer range, higher speed, and more torque.
For:
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Cheap |
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Choice of 2 models: ‘Base model’ – DC drive: £6999 (stripped of life’s little luxuries such as a radio etc!), or the new AC drive – with 40% more torque etc: £8299 |
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It’s got rear seats – well sort of - 2 plus 2 – plus a very small boot at the front and rear – and the rear seats can fold down |
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You can (legitimately) fit two G-Wiz cars in one parking space in Westminster! (Yes they’re that small) |
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The new G-Wiz AC is upgradeable to high-performance lithium ion (li-ion) batteries when they become available next year. Li-ion batteries have a longer life than lead acid batteries and will increase the car’s performance in terms of acceleration, speed, range and re-charge time. The li-ion upgrade batteries should give the G-Wiz AC a speed of between 50-60mph and a range of between 60 and 70 miles. The date for introduction has not yet been finalised, nor has the cost or actual performance figures. Li-ion batteries could last the lifetime of the car. |
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Goingreen automatically arranges carbon offsetting for new owners of the total carbon emissions during the first two years – including the production and shipping of the car |
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It’s a trend-setter. You’ll probably either love it or hate it! But the people who do love it, REALLY love it...! It’s now got a real cult following in the capital... |
Against:
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Cheap! – It’s built in India, and build quality and materials are very cheap, this is particularly noticeable in the interior, especially the gear selector which appears to have its white arrow markings added in Tippex, the hazard warning switch looks like it’s made from Lego, and the ventilation control, which adjusts air flow between either just face or windscreen, looks like it’s been recycled from a 1950’s Land Rover Defender! The overall fit and finish just does not compare with the average modern mass-production car – on our example, and seemingly on other G-Wiz’s, there’s a gap of around an inch between the driver’s door and the rear panel... |
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Very cramped! Driving this car, you feel very close to the windscreen, very close to the passenger, and the passenger door, and your head will probably be very near the roof. |
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The general driving experience is, well... different! The automatic transmission and electric motor give a sort of go-kart feel, but the car just feels too tall and narrow for the handling to be anything like as fun and confidence-inspiring as a go-kart. The steering seems to manage to be direct yet also somewhat vague around the straight-ahead position. |
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If you’re used to the servo-assisted brakes of the average modern car, then you’ll be rather surprised and possibly scared by the lack of feel in these brakes |
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That styling! As we said above, you’ll either love or hate this car as a whole – but we can’t help but think that if the styling was as funky as a Smart, it would win more friends... |
Summary:
OK, we need to get one thing straight. If you’re comparing a G-Wiz with a normal car (as everyone, including ourselves, is bound to do), you’re missing the point. The G-Wiz is a ground-breaking electric car that offers the cheapest possible, and greenest possible, motoring for London commuters.
If you’re not bothered about build quality or what it looks like, then the G-Wiz is ideal for central London, where most time is spent stationery or travelling at very slow speeds in traffic. If you live just outside the Congestion Charge zone, then the new ‘no-frills’ base model could be a great second car to allow you emission-free access to the city, while having a more practical and/or desirable car for weekend escapes to the country...
The G-Wiz has made many people think differently about the ideal car for London – and it will open the floodgates for other electric cars to come into the market... enter the Mega City.
VERDICT
Both the G-Wiz and the Mega City are small, basically two seater, electric cars aimed primarily at the London Congestion Charge market. They both offer cheap, environmentally-friendly motoring.
So at first sight it may appear that these are two very similar cars. However in reality nothing could be further from the truth.
Up until now, if you wanted an electric car, there’s not really been a choice. The G-Wiz was first to market and has been, and continues to be, very successful. It stands for ‘cheap and cheerful’. If that’s what you want, go for the G-Wiz.
However, now we have the Mega City. And yes, it may take sales away from the G-Wiz, but more importantly, it now gives people a choice. If you’re not sure about the styling of the G-Wiz, or the cramped interior, or the poor quality of the materials, you now have another option. It’s more expensive, but the Mega City starts to bridge the gap between an electric novelty that’s not generally accepted as a proper car, and a vehicle that feels much more like a mainstream offering from a mass manufacturer. Both cars are on the same side in the battle against climate change, and this test shows that competition is a good thing (as opposed to communism (a bad thing) resulting in everyone having to drive a Trabant) (very bad for climate change).
To contact GoinGreen visit www.goingreen.co.uk or e-mail ask@goingreen.co.uk |
More Road Tests
More background information on the G-Wiz:
G-Wiz AC Drive
£8,299 inc VAT
45mph
Range of up to 48 miles
There are now over 750 G-Wiz customers (this includes 150 who have already ordered the new G-Wiz AC).
The new G-Wiz AC is upgradeable to high-performance lithium ion (li-ion) batteries when they become available next year. Li-ion batteries have a longer life than lead acid batteries and will increase the car’s performance in terms of acceleration, speed, range and re-charge time. The G-Wiz also has a hill-holding restraint feature, making it easier to hold the car on slopes.
The new G-Wiz also has
• a 40% increase in mid-range torque resulting in better acceleration and hill climbing ability
• a booster mode for short-term acceleration/power
• a maintenance-free brushless motor providing smoother, quieter operation
• improved regenerative braking
• an anti-roll bar for better handling at higher speeds
• an advanced IPC (Instrument Panel Cluster) with an electronic speedometer, a trip odometer and an automatic computer-controlled indicator for power consumption and regeneration.
The standard body panels are now colour impregnated, without the use of paint, which makes them 100% recyclable and minor scratches are easily buffed up without the need for spraying.
The G-Wiz DC drive is still available, now as an entry-level model starting at £6,999 inc VAT but with fewer features than the original DC car.
Manufactured by Indo-US joint venture the Reva Electric Car Company, the G-Wiz is available exclusively from GoinGreen in the UK.
The G-Wiz’s exemption from road tax and the London congestion charge, free parking and charging in central London, including two on-street charging points in Covent Garden, with other parking benefits throughout the city, represents a package worth over £8,000 per year.
The G-Wiz is sold via GoinGreen’s website www.goingreen.co.uk, where customers in London can book test drives online. The company has a team of engineers based at its headquarters for full after sales maintenance and support and it also offers time-poor Londoners mobile servicing. GoinGreen is a founder member of the All-Electric Transport Alliance, a trade organisation formed to create awareness of the urgent need to switch to emission free motoring.
Further information...
• The G-Wiz AC range is up to 48 miles under UK test conditions and 40 on mixed roads. In India, the G-Wiz AC has achieved a range of 68 miles under test conditions, due to higher ambient temperatures.
• The li-ion upgrade batteries should give the G-Wiz AC a speed of between 50-60mph and a range of between 60 and 70 miles. The date for introduction has not yet been finalised, nor has the cost or actual performance figures. Li-ion batteries could last the lifetime of the car.
• The G-Wiz AC has 40% faster acceleration than the DC model.
• Other features of the G-Wiz AC are:
• Large front crumple zone and side impact bars
• DAB/CD radio as standard
• Front storage compartment
• Upgraded locking mechanism on boot
• 12v socket, cup holder, remote central locking
• Three seat options; leather, cloth and the exclusive CCS (Climate Control Seats), which use solid state technology to heat and cool the body, using much less power than air-conditioning.
• Battery heater pads, to warm the batteries in cold weather and reduce the impact on range deterioration.
• The G-Wiz AC starts at £8,299 inc VAT. A range of extras is available, including alloy wheels and leather seats.
• The entry-level G-Wiz DC starts at £6,999 inc VAT with credit finance available from just £143 a month.
• At up to 600mpg equivalent and Group 1 insurance, both G-Wiz models provide savings in London of up to 80% versus ICE cars.
• The calculated £8,000 package of annual savings and benefits by owning a G-Wiz refers to someone who drives their G-Wiz into the West End every working day and parks in a Masterpark car park. They do not pay the congestion charge (£2,000 per annum) or for parking, besides a £200 annual arrangement fee (an annual Masterpark season ticket is at least £6,000). On top of all this, a G-Wiz can run for a year for the price of a tank of petrol (£40-50).
• When charged with ‘ordinary’ electricity, the G-Wiz emissions impact is a saving of at least 74% versus a comparable small size conventional car. When charged with electricity from renewable sources, this figure is virtually 100%. This ‘well-to-wheel’ figure equates to 63gms CO2/km, compared to 170gms CO2/km as a national average and 104 gms CO2/km for the Toyota Prius.
• The City of Westminster has just introduced two free on-street electric charging points in Covent Garden. The Elektrobays are situated in Wellington Street and Southampton Street, WC2. Users must be members of Westminster’s Eco-Mark club and live or work in Westminster. Users have to pay a £50 deposit on the recharging cable and the stay is limited to three hours.
• Full information on the G-Wiz and its benefits can be found at www.goingreen.co.uk |
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