Haima is about the enter the specialized B-end market which includes taxis and ride hailing cars with its new purposely designed EX00. Over the years a number of Chinese companies have tried to enter the taxi/ride hailing market with special cars. Probably the best known and most successful was the BYD D1 with most others not amounting to much. This however hasn’t stopped a lot of NEV players targeting the sector such as XPeng with first the N5 and now Mona. On the same lines as the Haima EX00 was the FAW Bestune NAT which seems to have largely been a commercial flop. What does the EX00 which Haima has jointly created with Zhixing Box bring and can it be any more successful?
One of the pictures shows the EX00 in front of a sign saying IT Box (Zhixing Box’s English name) and this is really quite apt – box is exactly the word that comes to mind with this car. It seems that Haima is betting its future on a box with a fridge.
It looks more van like than a car and from one of the pictures it seems as if there may well be a van version of the vehicle as well. Haima announced that it has completed the key development stage and the EX00 will enter mass production in the fourth quarter of this year. Currently it’s undergoing a series of tests and preparations such as crash tests, NVH, thermal management, chassis tuning, and VCU development.
Length is currently given as 4500 mm, although it is not clear whether this is just an approximation, while wheelbase is 2850 mm. In some ways the vehicle is similar to the Zeekr MIX. That similarity carries through to it being B-pillarless on the right hand side but the door opening from pictures seems to consist of a sliding element aft and a normal swing door fore. At the front the headlight clusters are very distinctive.
Inside the Haima EX00 takes a similar approach to the LEVC TX, aka London taxi, where the space is designed around transporting passengers and their luggage. Seating is in a 1+1+3 configuration. Next to the driver is a storage space for suitcases complete with barrier to stop them sliding down the compartment. Then comes a single passenger seat which next to it has the fridge or vending machine. The third row is the most luxurious with a king seat which has ‘zero-gravity’ reclining. Whether this is the only seat with heating, ventilation and massage function is currently not clear. The third row of seats is right at the back of the car and pictures show very limited storage space behind it. It also appears as if the king seat may be asymmetrical with the other two seats in the third row. There is a drop down screen for entertainment or playing advertising, there seems to be an additional screen next to the driver.
Propelling the Haima EX00 is a 120 kW water-cooled permanent magnet motor. Equipped with a 62 kWh battery, most likely lithium iron phosphate, the range is said to be 480 kilometers (CLTC). According to current information it doesn’t seem to support battery swapping instead relying on fast charging.
Haima is one of the many Chinese car companies that are barely alive. Last year the company sold 27,957 cars, which was actually an increase of 14.6% on the year before! Can such a unique vehicle make the difference for the company?
Source: Fast Technology
