It’s been *checks notes* more than a week since South Africa last got a new electric vehicle. That means the time is ripe for Changan to let the Deepal S05 range-extended electric vehicle (REEV) out onto SA roads. There’s no chicanery on Changan’s part. Everything you see on the S05 is what you get, for the single price of R699,000.
Deep thoughts with the Deepal
Whether the package is attractive enough to justify the price is entirely up to you. The SUV looks nice enough and is available at dealerships starting this week. But, as ever, it mostly relies on the electric specs that Deepal has opted for. More than anything else, that’s what you’re shelling out massive premiums for here.
At the top of the list is the rear-mounted electric motor delivering 160kW and 320Nm, solely powering the rear wheels. Backing it up is a 27.28kWh lithium-ion phosphate battery, which allows the S05 to travel around 175km on the battery’s charge. When it reaches a certain threshold, the 2.5L petrol engine (72kW and 125Nm) kicks in to charge up the battery as you go, for a combined range of over 1,000km.
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Changan reckons that’s enough to send the Deepal S05 hurtling to 100km/h in under eight seconds. It’ll do just fine on the highways, too, with a claimed top speed of 175km/h. As for when you aren’t driving the thing, it’ll fill the little battery that could from 30-80% in roughly 20 minutes. Only if you’re using DC charging, of course.
Thus far, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before, even in SA. Changan’s hoping that the five exterior colours, rotating 15.4in touchscreen system, and heads-up display are enough to convince you to part with your hard-earned bucks. It’s got other attributes too — like 50W wireless charging, electric seats, heated wing mirrors, and something called ‘Fatigue Detection’. It’ll need to keep track of your face constantly, so proceed with caution.
