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Final Up to date on: thirteenth Might 2025, 12:45 am
Eight months in the past, Majella and I went for a check drive within the newly arrived Omoda E5 from Chery. You possibly can examine it right here. Our conclusion was that the automobile was good worth for the cash and ought to be thought-about when cross searching for an electrical SUV. However 4 months is a very long time within the present Aussie EV market.
What’s it wish to drive the Omoda each day? I requested John, one in every of our regulars on the native month-to-month espresso mornings, to share his expertise transferring from a GMH Bolt to a Chery BEV.
He informed me: “In 2014 I used to be enthusiastic about shopping for an electrical automobile. At the moment there wasn’t many choices. Solely the Tesla Mannequin S which was properly over $100k and the Nissan Leaf which had restricted vary and solely had an air cooled battery administration system. I noticed a web-based clip concerning the Holden Volt, so I went for a check drive, considered it, and browse some critiques because the automobile was highly regarded within the USA. I bought the Volt in February 2014 and located that it was very dependable. My lifetime petrol consumption was 1.9 liters per 100 km, which is superb, and I managed to drive 123,000 km in 11 years. The battery vary within the Volt was solely 60 to 80 km, which was helpful for brief journeys after which the petrol motor was used for longer journeys.”
“In 2024, the service assist for the Holden Volt grew to become very restricted, as any work on the automobile needed to be performed by licensed Volt technicians. In later 2024, the battery was exhibiting indicators of damage, that means I wasn’t getting the battery vary that I used to get when the automobile was new.”
“In 2025, I noticed the Chery Omoda E5 marketed on TV, so I went for a check drive at Motorama Chery at Moorooka. My funds was underneath $40,000 driveaway. At first, I wasn’t satisfied that it was the appropriate automobile for me. So, I went to a different dealership, which was Motorama Chery at Springwood. And I had one other 2 check drives. I nonetheless wasn’t satisfied, because the dealing with was so completely different to the Holden Volt. I went for one more check drive at Chery North Lakes, which was higher, as I used to be in a position to drive on the Bruce Freeway. After that check drive, I made a decision to buy the automobile at Motorama Chery Springwood, which was near the place I reside, and so they had loads of parking and a superb gross sales staff. The driveaway value was $39,000, which is my funds. I had a check drive of the BYD Dolphin. I didn’t just like the dealing with. One other automobile to contemplate was the BYD Atto 3, however I didn’t like the inside and the vary of the decrease spec one was under that of the Chery Omoda E5.
“At current I’ve pushed 2,400 km. The one subject I had was the automobile had a steering fault which needed to be rectified on the service centre at Chery Springwood. They fastened the fault in someday and I’ve to say they have been very useful {and professional}.”
“The automobile is a really clean automobile to drive, with a lot of tech and the extensive show on the two screens could be very clear and straightforward to see. The one criticism is the regen ranges on 2 & 3 trigger a jerky sensation — appears to not be modulated appropriately. So, more often than not I exploit degree one. The rated vary is 430 km, which after a protracted return journey to Toowoomba, that’s shut in real-world driving. The gross sales staff at Chery Springwood bought an 8-amp dwelling charger for me, because the automobile doesn’t include a charger. That’s what I exploit at dwelling to cost the automobile. The Chery is completely different to the Volt, a lot better turning circle. The tech within the Volt isn’t supported any extra, and evaluating it to the Chery Omoda E5, I might say there isn’t a comparability.”
Just a little background for the curious: The Chevy Bolt was bought in Australia underneath the Holden model from 2012 to 2015. It was an try by GM to rebuild its environmentally pleasant credentials after the EV1 fiasco. It had a 16 kWh lithium-ion battery pack to offer a goal all-electric vary of 60 km. Vary was then prolonged by a petroleum engine appearing as a generator. Regen braking also can contribute to vary. Solely 250 Volts bought in Australia, for a unit value of about AU$60,000 every. The Volt bought underneath roughly 177,000 models underneath varied manufacturers around the globe.
Fairly the quantum leap then. The Chery Omoda has already bought extra BEVs than the Holden Volt in Australia (256 to this point this 12 months). It’s all the time fascinating to discover the pathways and the explanation why folks go BEV. Additionally it is price noting that John has gone from an American automobile (albeit with an Australia model) to a Chinese language automobile. John was in a position to purchase a totally electrical car for 2 thirds of the price of a hybrid! And with a great deal of expertise. John has now began a Fb web page and a chat group for others becoming a member of him within the Omoda expertise. Nice to listen to your story, John. For you and your group, the long run is brilliant and electrical.
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