Developing a domestic electric vehicle is a crucial task

Up to 400 kilometres driving range and maximum localisation — how work is progressing on the creation of the Belarusian electric vehicle

According to data from the Belarusian Automobile Association (BAA), total sales of new passenger and light commercial vehicles in July this year reached 4,763 units, marking a record high for the last three years. Furthermore, July 2024 sales exceeded those of July 2023 by more than 2.5 times. Experts have also noted a nearly tenfold increase in electric vehicle sales — 1,261 electric cars over the past seven months. While car enthusiasts are eagerly awaiting the Belarusian electric vehicle to hit the market, the developers have stated that the wait won’t be much longer.

Belarusian electric vehicle — BelGee eX50    Aleksandr Kushner 

Finding its niche

All colours of the rainbow, a design reminiscent of space ships, and a driving range of over a thousand kilometres — today, China dictates the global trends in the electric vehicle market. According to the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC), the local automotive industry exported 1.54 million electric vehicles in 2023, earning $34 billion. Various estimates suggest that the volume of the Chinese electric vehicle market is estimated at $305.57 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach a staggering $674.27 billion by 2029. This all indicates that the future lies with this mode of transport. The trends are clear, which is why Belarus has decided to create its own electric vehicle. The first prototype was developed by the Joint Institute of Mechanical Engineering of Belarus’ National Academy of Sciences back in 2017. However, for various reasons, it was deemed not to be the most successful. Since then, researchers and manufacturers have been actively working to create a vehicle that would meet consumer demands for price and quality. The most popular car among Belarusians — the BelGee X50 crossover — has been selected as the basis.
“The choice is not random,” noted Aleksandr Belevich, Deputy General Director for Highly Automated Electric Transport at the Joint Institute of Mechanical Engineering. “Firstly, BelGee has purchased the licence for this vehicle, and they have the right to make structural changes, including installing an electric motor. Moreover, the crossover as a class is the most popular model. It has a raised ground clearance, which allows ‘stealing’ some space for the battery. This is because the body of a petrol engine vehicle is not designed for battery installation. We are refining it. Consequently, the ground clearance will be slightly reduced.”  
There was no time for scientists and manufacturers to hesitate. The Head of State set a clear deadline — within a year, it is required not only to develop a domestic electric car but also to launch it into production. “To date, design documentation for all key components and powertrain has been developed and sent to enterprises for manufacturing. The first prototypes for testing are expected soon. We produced the first prototype in our institute, and now the task for serial production plants is to manufacture all components for the pilot industrial batch and carry out the final assembly at BelGee as the manufacturing enterprise in order to refine all production technologies. So, work on the practical implementation of the project has effectively begun,” reported the deputy general director of the institute.

Localisation is key

The working name of the Belarusian electric vehicle is BelGee eX50. At the first stage, five absolutely identical prototypes will be produced for series testing. This is a kind of pilot industrial batch that will undergo all tests next year while preliminary tests are scheduled for this year. “Of course, on a global scale, this is a drop in the ocean. Typically, a pilot batch is produced in volumes of several dozen or hundred units. Nevertheless, we believe that this will be sufficient for manufacturers to assess their costs. After all, one of the problematic issues is the final cost of the product,” clarified Aleksandr Belevich. “The electric car will have quite a lot of Belarusian components — according to experts’ estimates, more than 60 percent.” 
The interlocutor revealed, “The entire powertrain and battery will be Belarusian. Obviously, the cells will be Chinese. The traction electric motor is also domestically produced, as is the power electronics. The component base is purchased, but its cost makes less than 50 percent of the inverter cost. The assembly of printed circuit boards, programming, and algorithms are all Belarusian. The vehicle control system is also home-produced. The body is welded in Belarus, and the painting is done here, as well. The degree of localisation is very high, higher than that of the classic BelGee X50.” 
Car owners are undoubtedly interested in the technical aspect in addition to the price. The total weight of the vehicle will be just over two tonnes, with a maximum speed currently limited to 140 km/h. On the plus side, the driving range according to the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) will be over 300 kilometres. “The battery will have the same capacity as that of Chinese manufacturers for similar-class vehicles,” Aleksandr Belevich unveiled. “The range during comfortable and dynamic driving will be about 300-350 kilometres. We use lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries, as they are the most reliable and fire safe.”  
Experts do not rule out future modifications of the Belarusian electric car with more powerful batteries — technical capabilities for this exist. However, the price will certainly be higher, in which case marketing considerations will come into play.

Price of the issue

When discussing the competitive price of the car, the degree of localisation undoubtedly plays a primary role. However, the production volume is of significant importance, too — a competitive price cannot be achieved with small volumes. At the same time, launching a large series immediately is not feasible as the market remains unclear. Therefore, the question is still open while the developers are planning to submit a request for government support. This is a global practice. “Currently, there is a tax exemption on the import of electric vehicles. This has contributed to their popularity, and the market is actively growing,” stated the deputy general director of the institute. “If the VAT, which is 20 percent, along with a number of other taxes is abolished to protect domestic producers, while import duties are reinstated, as has been done in Russia, the price will immediately become competitive. Again, if there is a guaranteed order from government agencies for a thousand cars per year, then the manufacturer has a reason to invest in equipment, and a viable series can emerge. According to various calculations, the ideal volume for creating a competitive price is around 10,000 cars per year. Therefore, a series is needed.” 

Word from the manufacturer

Gennady Svidersky, Director of BelGee CJSC,
“The idea of creating a Belarusian electric vehicle appeared after acquiring a licence that provided access to specific documentation. The chassis will be manufactured on the assembly line of the BelGee production facility using the electric vehicle documentation developed by the National Academy of Sciences. After obtaining industrial prototypes at the end of the year, we will be able to discuss the commercial and technical prospects for the development of this direction. One thing is already clear — this is an important step in mastering the competencies in the design and production of passenger cars. Testing of pilot batches of the domestic electric vehicle is planned for December. We will produce this batch, and in January we will conduct the tests. At that point, technical and commercial conclusions will be provided regarding the possibility of serial production.”

By Vladislav Sychevich