On January 2, Chinese media reported the story of a Neta car that was bought about 1.5 years ago that is now only able to drive 40 kilometers on a charge. In a video, the car owner, Ms He from Huzhou in Zhejiang Province, explains the situation.
The car appears to be a Neta Aya and, according to He, was bought in May 2023. She paid 76,000 yuan (10,400 USD) for a model with an official range of 401 km.
Initial problems emerged after recent cold weather, with the range dropping off a cliff. According to He, the range dropped to around 60 kilometers.
Due to this extreme decrease, she decided to seek help from Neta. Because the store where she had originally bought the car from had already closed down she sent the car to the Anji Neta 4S store for repairs.
They informed her that the car’s battery had failed and the battery pack needed to be replaced. However, the battery pack is not in stock so the dealership has no way to replace it.
Adding further distress to Ms He’s situation, the battery has recently dropped to only 40 kilometers range. The round trip to her workplace is 42 km, meaning that it’s insufficient for her to use to drive to work. She complains in the video that, at one time, a charge would last for 3 or 4 days of usage.
The dealership is unable to give Ms He an accurate repair time, only saying that it would not be possible until sometime in the New Year; it’s not clear whether they mean after Chinese New Year (January 29) or not.
The dealership has contacted the manufacturer many times, but the battery pack is out of stock. In order to help Ms He the dealership has lent her what in Chinese is described as a daibuche (代步车). It is unclear what exactly this is, with the term appearing to be used for anything from old people mobility vehicles through scooters to low-speed EVs.
Whatever the vehicle actually is, it is unlikely to be as comfortable for the ride to work as the Neta Aya that she bought.
He has escalated the problem to the person in charge of Neta’s national customer service and maintenance. She, however, received a similar reply and that no exact time of when the battery pack would be available could be given.
The Neta Aya (see specs) was launched in February 2023, but it is largely a new name for the car previously known as the Neta V. It is available in versions with both 318 km and 401 km range. Lower-ranged versions use a 40 kW electric motor, whereas the 401 km version uses a 70 kW motor. It has dimensions of 4070, 1690, and 1540 mm and a wheelbase of 2420 mm, making it a relatively small car.
Neta, a brand of Hozon Auto, has had a lot of problems recently, with rumors suggesting the company is close to bankruptcy. Founder, Fang Yunzhou, recently took over as CEO in an attempt to rescue the company.
Source: Fast Technology
