This low-rent BMW i3 knockoff brings EVs back to the ground floor

By Andrew Hard March 24, 2015

Qingzhou Jinma JMW2200 — Tycho De Feijter/Car News China

With its zero-emissions powerplant, carbon fiber polymer body, and futuristic styling, the BMW i3 is the perfect representative for the advancement of EV tech.

This Chinese knockoff is, well, not.

Behold the Jinma JMW2200, manufactured by the Qingzhou Da Jinma Motorcycle Corporation. The low-speed electric vehicle (LSEV) was just unveiled at Shandong EV Expo, and despite its blatant styling plagiarism, it’s about as far from the i3 as a Beetle is from a Bugatti. The story comes from Car News China.

Instead of the artfully crafted (albeit polarizing) bodywork found on the Bimmer, the JMW2200 looks like it was stuck together from junkyard scraps and gas station leftovers. More plasticky than pioneering, this LSEV leaves its decency at the door.

Qingzhou Jinma JMW2200 — Tycho De Feijter/Car News China

Tycho De Feijter/Car News China

Inside, it gets even worse. Rather than a plant fiber dashboard or Eucalyptus wood trim, you’ll find an interior straight out of a 1980s budget lot. It does have a trick digital speedometer, though, which zips all the way up to the vehicle’s 31-mph top speed.

Qingzhou Jinma JMW2200 — Tycho De Feijter/Car News China

Tycho De Feijter/Car News China

The powertrain is unsurprisingly basic as well. A four-horsepower electric motor provides the JMW’s forward momentum, with motivation coming from what appears to be a Cretaceous-era lead-acid battery. Qingzhou Da Jinma claims the car can travel up to 75 miles, but the ‘close enough’ mentality used to produce the rest of the car breeds skepticism.

Another nugget of awesomeness? Jinma means ‘Golden Horse’ in Chinese, while Baoma, the Chinese word for BMW means ‘Treasure Horse.’ And what a treasure this is.

Keep an eye out, because the JMW2200 is set to go on sale in China soon for a starting price of 24,998 Yuan ($4,024).

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