Bestune E05: The EV MPV of the Future?

When it comes to urban mobility, electric vehicles have truly taken over the landscape. From electric scooters and bikes to electrified buses, the drive to go green has meant big changes in propulsion.

Part of that landscape, though, are still hire cars, like taxis and ridesharing cars like Uber and Grab. Aside from Uber Green, though, many hire cars are still powered by petroleum – through no fault of their own, however, as there are few affordable electric options available for fleet use.

That may change very soon, though, with the introduction of the Bestune E05 – a vehicle designed from the ground up to be hired.

Called the Bestune Next Automatic Taxi in China, the E05 was designed in collaboration with Chinese ride hailing company DiDi, who provided data on passenger statistics and needs to help companies like FAW’s Bestune to create vehicles that would, in turn, enter the ridehailing industry as tailor-made vehicles.

Here in the Philippines though, it’s sold by importer EvoXTerra as a premium midsize MPV. As such, it has gained quite a few quirks that make the E05 an unconventional choice for potential buyers, but on the surface, at least makes a compelling argument.

When talking about an unconventional car, the best place to start is with the conventional.

First and foremost, the E05 is a Battery Electric Vehicle or BEV, as termed by the government. This means it qualifies for the incentives offered by the EVIDA Law, namely free registration, number coding exemption, and while it may not be immediately apparent, tax breaks that make it competitively priced at ₱1,498,000. Power wise, the E05 gets a 120kW electric motor and a 55kWh battery.

This gives it a CLTC driving range of 410 kilometers, which is on the high side for EVs available in the Philippines. If you’re worried that this EV won’t last because it’s new technology, EvoXTerra offers arguably one of the best warranty policies on the E05 – 8 year on the Battery and Motor, with 5 years on the car itself.

Driving the car feels like driving any normal vehicle, sans the sound of an engine, or the telltale movement of a transmission shifting through the gears. It’s buttery smooth under acceleration, and will easily climb all the way to its top speed of 130 km/h, with 0-100km/h being dealt with in a humble 10.8 seconds. Performance car, it is not, but it has enough of it to be comfortable both in the city and the highway.

Inside, the E05 is the very definition of spacious. As a 1.7 meter tall driver, my seating position is quite selfish on the rear seat passengers, but because the rear of the E05 rivals that of many Long Wheelbase limousines, my companion was able to comfortable stretch out her legs behind me. And even with the rear seats up, this MPV can swallow up anything the modern Filipino family may need it to – from airport luggage to the odd balikbayan box, and even trinkets picked up during the random IKEA shopping trip (we’ve all been there).

Here's where things start to get unconventional, though.

The E05 benefits (or suffers, depending on your point of view) from an asymmetrical design. Where most cars accept rear passengers through swing out doors, and most vans through sliding doors, the E05 has both – a swing out door on the driver side, and a power sliding door on the passenger side. Strange as it may be to look at, the design is actually very human, the thought process behind it being passengers are supposed to board on the passenger side. A sliding door makes it easier to do so in case the space is too narrow for a conventional door, and because the door is electric and can be operated by the driver, ingress and egress is more convenient and more comfortable.

As you step into the back, the E05 has yet another quirk – the front passenger seat can be controlled by the rear passenger. The seat can fold fully flat by pulling a tab in the middle, and can slide forward and back through a tab on the left. Again, strange to see until you realize why – as it was designed to be a ride hailing vehicle, there is no expectation of an occupant in the front seat. Instead, it can be folded away and stored under the dash for added legroom, cargo space, or even to be used as a footrest, all at the passenger’s discretion. Again, it’s unconventional but very human in design and function.

But of all the quirks the E05 has, by far the most useful of them is that this humble MPV, designed to be used round the clock on ride hailing apps, has a ventilated driver seat. Just this small consideration makes it that little more comfortable, and by extension, better.

The Achilles heel of this MPV, though, is the lack of certain features which, if included, would have made it the standard of the market. Advanced Driver Aids like Lane Keep Assist and Lane departure warnings, Autonomous Emergency Braking, and the like are conspicuously missing, along with MPV staples like a power lift tailgate, 360° camera, and a panoramic sunroof. Though we can live without them, the driver aids are a commodity that can make or break the success of a product.

Along side this, the E05 comes equipped with the Chinese GB/T charging standard, instead of the CCS Type 1 or Type 2 standard that’s widely used here. That’s not to say you won’t be able to charge your car – many malls are starting to install GB/T plugs, and Unoil fuel stations with EV Chargers use GB/T plugs as well – but it limits where you can charge your vehicle, which isn’t ideal given the scarcity of charging stations in the country.

To summarize: The E05 is a well-equipped, efficient, and comfortable 5-seater MPV that costs a hair under ₱1,500,000. Quirky as it may be, it was designed and developed with practicality in mind, above all else. It may not have the same usability as other MPVs in the market – lacking a third row will do that – but that doesn’t make it any less useful. In fact, when comparing it to other options in the price range – a certain Chinese manufacturer with delinquent service practices included – the E05 seems like an obvious choice.

EVs are still considered a risk in the country, and the Bestune E05 is no different. It’s still limited to how far the charging network can take it, and even though it offers much, it’s not perfect. But where EVs were once playthings of the very wealthy, the E05 and others like it have democratized electric mobility for the masses in a way that we could only dream of 3 years ago. Out of all of them, the Bestune E05 offers one of the best packages as well – giving you space, pace, and grace that goes unchallenged in this segment, and that alone makes for a great first impression.

For more information on the Philippine market Bestune E05, contact EvoXTerra at evoxterra.com.

Pictures taken from: Компактвэн FAW Bestune NAT для такси и каршеринга — Авторевю (autoreview.ru)