2023-05-24 21:50:00
A real commotion has generated in recent weeks the possibility that the so-called “million-peso car” will arrive in Chile.
It should be remembered that the micro car became known when it became known that through the Ali-baba platform you might buy a citycar, which would arrive in a box at home, as if it were any product.
The value on the platform is close to 1.5 million pesos, so they quickly began to ask if it would be feasible to see it in our country. Added to this was the viralization of a video with another microcar with similar characteristics, however, this vehicle corresponds to a Micro Mach firm model and its cost in Europe is close to 9 thousand euros.
Despite the fact that this Micro Mach does not have the respective approval, various users caught it circulating on the streets, which is totally unrelated to current regulations, since it does not have the respective approval either.
On this subject, Diego Mendoza, general secretary of the National Automotive Association of Chile (Anac), specified that “a closed quadricycle like those that have been seen in Chile in recent times, clearly fulfills the role of a motorized vehicle for the transport of passengers or cargo. Therefore, today they do not have authorization from the MTT to travel on public roads and to do so they must be approved to meet the same requirements as a car, whatever its form of propulsion. The reason for this is derived from the Traffic Law, which ensures safety standards, constructability and signaling in vehicles that circulate on public streets and roads. A quad without a third brake light, or without a rearview mirror, or that does not have the mandatory ABS and Electronic Stability Control (ESP) will not be able to circulate.
From the Ministry of Transport they are also blunt on the subject and pointed out that “in Chile, any vehicle that wants to circulate on the streets has to be approved. It is the first step to later obtain the rest of the mandatory documents, such as the patent, the circulation permit and the compulsory insurance. In this sense, any non-approved vehicle that is inspected by the Carabineros, by the Inspection program of the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications or by municipal inspectors, must be removed and a fine ranging from 1 to 1.5 UTM, according to the Traffic Law”.
The microcar that circulates in Chile does not have permission to circulate, but what regarding the Chang Li S1-Pro, can the million-peso car be sold in Chile? Would the homologation process carried out by the Vehicle Control and Certification Center (3CV) of the Ministry of Transport pass successfully?
The first thing is to establish what type of vehicle the micro car is, if it falls into the category of motorized vehicle or moped.
As indicated on the Conaset website, “national legislation defines motorcycles as: “Motorized vehicle with two, three or four wheels, equipped with front, rear and stop lights, whose mass in running order is less than or equal to 680 Kg, in the case of two or three wheeled vehicles, and less than or equal to 400 kg (550 kg for vehicles intended for the transport of goods) in the case of quadricycles and less than or equal to 350 kg in the case of light quadricycles”.
The Chang Li S1-Pro, a four-wheeled vehicle, has a weight of 750 kg, therefore, it cannot be included in the four-wheeled motorcycle category and would become part of the so-called Medium and Light-Light Vehicles.
As such, and like all Light and Medium Vehicles entering the country, it should comply with emissions and safety regulations.
Being an electric vehicle, in theory it would not suffer from the issue of emissions, something that Anac also calls into question.
“The so-called ‘million-peso car’ is not an “advance in electromobility” nor does it improve environmental indices, since in many cases they use batteries of old and polluting technologies, lead. The last point regarding electrification is no less relevant. Today, every electric vehicle sold in Chile includes a portable charger that is authorized by the Superintendence of Electricity and Fuels. This ensures that regardless of the home socket where the vehicles are charged there are no risks. In the case of the ‘million-peso car’, the charging method, power and security elements it includes are unknown. Therefore, users not only risk a malfunction of the charging system, but also electrical risks or even fire, if the sockets to which they are connected do not have sufficient electrical capacity”, said Diego Mendoza.
Now, in terms of safety, although the technical sheet of the Chang Li S1-Pro states that it has double airbags, the level of safety is very basic, in fact, it only mentions the presence of four-wheel disc brakes and seat belts. security, lacking ABS brakes and stability control, elements that are mandatory for a light vehicle.
“A quadricycle with these characteristics will not meet the safety requirements both in terms of constructability and in safety elements (equipment), since they do not have airbags, ABS, ESP, nor do they comply with lighting regulations, and they will not be equipped with those braking components because they circulate at low speeds. Therefore, they will not meet the minimum homologation requirements to be incorporated into the national vehicle fleet,” says Diego Mendoza.
It is for this reason that the Chang Li S1-Pro, the famous “million-peso car”, might not be marketed in Chile.
Regarding this issue and seeing what might happen if a person is caught driving this type of non-approved vehicle, the Ministry of Transportation told MT La Tercera that “in Chile, any vehicle that wants to circulate on the streets has to be approved. It is the first step to later obtain the rest of the mandatory documents, such as the patent, the circulation permit and the compulsory insurance. In this sense, any non-approved vehicle that is inspected by the Carabineros, by the Inspection program of the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications or by municipal inspectors, must be removed and a fine ranging from 1 to 1.5 UTM, according to the Traffic Law”.
In the same sense, beyond the fines, from Anac they point to responsibility and care with what you want to acquire, since according to Diego Mendoza, “it can be misleading to think that they are vehicles authorized to circulate on public streets and roads , since they are not, since they do not comply with the safety regulations, nor the construction regulations or the connection and recharging regulations to the electrical network. The ‘million-peso car’ tries to resemble a car and the buyer might understand that it meets all the requirements for driving, plus the latest requirements that have recently been incorporated, and this is not the case”.
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