What on earth is a PHEV, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle? It’s the best of both worlds, and perhaps the saviour of the electric vehicle…
You should know: We at NamWheels don’t hate EV’s, we’re just not as obsessed as the Europeans, who think of them as the messiah. The only way. What they didn’t factor into their religious insanity is the desolate distance between Keetmans and Mariental, plus the slight absence of super chargers in those towns.
More info: So that’s exactly where a PHEV steps in. It’s still an electric vehicle with a huge battery and clean electric motor(s), but instead of looking for a 220km-long extension cord, you can now rely on a normal petrol engine with a normal petrol tank if you get to Mariental Shell and your man goes “Meneer wil wat tjaarts?”
This is not a new concept – the BMW i3 REX came with a “range extender” twin-cylinder engine to make electricity on demand. A diesel-electric locomotive uses roughly the same principle, minus the battery. And this is what should get everyone’s approval: a simple “vol maak asseblief” will keep your new Haval H6 GT going until you find a charger.
What else: Back in suburbia, though, you won’t even have to. My colleague and I shared this vehicle between us and easily racked up 100km on electricity alone. Haval claims 180km under ideal conditions and a further 800km once the 1.5L turbo-petrol engine gets involved. Maximum battery capacity is 35.4kWh and tank level 55L.
Why you shouldn’t: The 4WD bit in this vehicle’s name should be taken with a pinch of salt. It’s merely due to the fact that this EV has an electric motor on each axle, although there are drive modes to help any adventurous Southern Africans. The exterior looks zany, visibility is meh, those exhaust rectangles are fake, and there’s no volume knob.
Why you should: Every one of our test pilots enjoyed driving this H6 GT PHEV, no thanks to expensive 235/55R19 Michelin Primacy 4 rubber on all four corners. Stopping from 100km/h took less than three seconds and 40m, while our best sprint to 100 was 5.15 seconds. Haval claims 4.9.
Performance is so brisk and relentless that we quickly head-butted an electronic speed limiter around the 190km/h mark, with our GPS data revealing a true top speed near 185km/h, which the vehicle reached in under 20 seconds. In Sport mode with the throttle buried, you’ll also hear the turbo-petrol engine spool up like a CVT; to aid maximum acceleration.
Conclusion: Its design and minimalist interior might frighten off traditional motorists but the EV-with-petrol-helper system is so well executed in this vehicle that range anxiety is a thing of the past. Each new H6 GT PHEV is sold with a 7-year/200,000km warranty (8-year/150k for the battery) and 7-year/75,00km service plan.
FULL SPEC LIST
| Engine: | Twin electric motors with 1,499cc in-line 4-cylinder turbo-petrol hybrid |
| Transmission: | Hybrid 4WD |
| Max. Power: | 321kW @ 5,500rpm |
| Max. Torque: | 762Nm @ 1,500rpm |
| Avg. cons.: | (claimed 0.8-5.4L/100km) |
| 0-100km/h: | 5.15 seconds (claimed 4.9) |
| Top Speed: | 184.56km/h (no claim) |
| List Price: | R799,900 |