Electric taxi? It can work!

Electric taxis are still widely debated in Germany, while in China they are mandatory in many large metropolises. This is also the case in Beijing, Shanghai, or Wuhu. In Wuhu, the electric Arizzo 5 is considered the standard taxi. A compact sedan with a speedy driver. Can it handle the range and charging? No problem at all and: Very quiet and above all: Always a good pull, which is very important for her! Honks slower vehicles out of the way and gets us to the hotel in the Chery city of Wuhu in record time.

Approximately 219,000 kilometers, still just under 400 km range

We continue our journey to Shanghai. There, the MG5 built since 2017, sold there as the Roewe i5, can be considered THE standard taxi. We double-check with the driver and want to know more details this time. His i5 has clocked up a good 219,000 km in three years – meaning that the compact estate has covered around 200 kilometers a day if it runs 24/7 for 365 days. We wanted to know – how is it managing the range and charging and is it still the original battery?

A quick note on body and interior: They still make a good impression, nothing creaks or rattles. The battery still reports 279 kilometers at 75% charge, which means 372 kilometers at 100% charge, which still corresponds to just under the WLTP range of 400 km of the Euro version – but always in urban operation, where in Shanghai it's rarely faster than 80 km/h.

Range and charging are suitable for everyday taxi use

According to our driver, who wishes to remain anonymous, the range is more than sufficient for daily business, even without a charging break if necessary. However, he welcomes the charging break at the central station. The battery has indeed degraded: initially, it always offered 400 km plus x, then 350, and now depending on the weather and driving profile, sometimes only 300, which means 75% State-of-Charge compared to the new car. But it's still more than sufficient, so the Roewe will certainly experience a three at the kilometer counter.