Manufacturing localization of Belarusian electric vehicles explained

MINSK, 20 January (BelTA) – Director General of the Joint Mechanical Engineering Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Sergei Poddubko talked to a BelTA reporter on the sidelines of the Intellectual Belarus expo. Among other things he mentioned new models of Belarusian electric vehicles and the state of affairs regarding their manufacturing localization.

Sergei Poddubko said: “Today we present electric vehicles that use frame-panel bodies. They use a metallic weight-bearing frame and plastic body kits. An electric truck with the carrying capacity of 1 tonne looks particularly interesting. We did all the work starting with design, calculations, engineering and ending with testing.”

In his words, the small-capacity electric truck has great prospects for transporting cargoes inside cities. “It is environmentally friendly. You can charge it at night and drive it during the day. And the technology is quite feasible in Belarus: we make plastic and weld load-bearing structures, and the electric drive is completely ours, too. So this electric vehicle is localized as much as possible,” the official underlined.

An electric sports car is also showcased at the expo. “We use it to test electric drives at high speeds and heavy loads. Apart from that, every year we arrange electric motor rallies and this vehicle will participate in it as well,” Sergei Poddubko noted.

The official also mentioned prospects of mass production of these vehicles. “Any model has to go through tests. If necessary, we can tweak the engineering design. And then we will think about mass production. The key goal is to localize the production of components. We've already made some progress in this regard,” Sergei Poddubko concluded.