Taiwanese automaker unveils first EV people carrier

Luxgen, the Taiwanese automaker that began selling outside of Taiwan only earlier this year, has unveiled what it says is the world's first 7-passenger electric vehicle.

Luxgen says that its Luxgen7 MPV EV offers a range of over 300km on a single charge if a fixed cruising speed of 40km/h is maintained, pushing its performance past that of many other EVs and closing the "utility gap between an EV and a fossil fuel powered counterpart."

In peak performance mode, the Luxgen7 MPV EV's 240hp engine is capable of 0 to 100 km/h in 8.6 seconds and can reach a maximum speed of 145 km/h, albeit with a shorter range.

The Taiwanese firm, which prides itself on integrating sophisticated electronics into its vehicles, says that the lithium-ion battery pack is capable of discharging back into the power grid to balance utilisation, as well as  offering a regenerative braking system and an energy conversion rate of up to 80 percent.

Like other vehicles in the Luxgen range, it will offer gadgetry such as an on-board computer system that controls in-car entertainment and a visual assistance system including night vision and 360 degree surveillance cameras.

The EVs set to hit the road later this year, such as the Nissan LEAF and Mitsubishi iMiEV, are all small city cars, so Luxgen's foray into electric people carriers is a bold step.

Earlier this year, the firm announced that Oman would be the first market outside of Taiwan for its vehicles, as it struggled to gain a foothold in a competitive market dominated by export giants such as Nissan and Toyota.

In the EV market, it will face equally stiff competition from Chinese EV maker, BYD, which has already announced plans for showrooms in the US and Europe.

http://www.luxgen-motor.com/