The famous Chang Li S1-Pro micro car would not pass the type approval if it arrived in the country due to security concerns.
A real stir has generated in recent weeks the possibility that the so-called “million peso car” will arrive in Chile.
We must remember that the micro-car became known when we learned that thanks to the Ali-baba platform we could buy a city car, 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 started asking if it would be possible to see it in our country. To this is added the viralization of a video with another microcar with similar characteristics, however, this vehicle corresponds to a model of the firm Micro Mach and its cost in Europe is close to 9 thousand euros.
Despite the fact that this Micro Mach does not have the corresponding approval, various users have caught it circulating in the streets, which has nothing to do with current regulations, since it does not have either plus the corresponding approval.
On this subject, Diego Mendoza, Secretary General of the National Automobile Association of Chile (Anac), specified that “a closed quadricycle like those that we have seen in Chile lately, clearly fulfills the role of a motorized vehicle for the transport of passengers or freight. They therefore do not currently have the authorization of the MTT to circulate on public roads and for this 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 guarantees safety standards, construction and signaling of vehicles that circulate on public roads and roads.A quad without a third brake light, or without mirror, or which does not have the mandatory ABS and electronic stability control (ESP) will not be able to drive.
From the Ministry of Transport they are also frank on the subject and pointed out that “in Chile, any vehicle that wants to circulate on the streets must be approved. This is the first step to obtain later the rest of the mandatory documents, such as the patent, the circulation permit and the compulsory insurance. In this sense, any non-homologated vehicle that is inspected by the carabinieri, 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, depending on the Highway Code “.
The reasons that do not allow the arrival of the car to a million dollars
The microcar that circulates in Chile does not have the authorization to circulate, but what about the Chang Li S1-Pro, can the car of one million pesos be sold in Chile? Would the approval process conducted 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 it is, whether it falls into the category of motorized vehicles or mopeds.
As indicated on the Conaset website, “national legislation defines motorcycles as: “Motor vehicle with two, three or four wheels, equipped with front, rear and brake 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) for quadricycles and less than or equal to 350 kg for light quadricycles”.
The Chang Li S1-Pro, a four-wheeled vehicle, has a weight of 750 kg, therefore, it cannot be included in the category of four-wheeled motorcycles and would belong to the so-called medium and light vehicles.
As such, and like all light and medium vehicles entering the country, it must comply with emissions and safety regulations.
Being an electric vehicle, it would in theory not suffer from the problem of emissions, which the Anac also calls into question.
“The so-called “million peso car” is not an “advancement in electromobility” and does not improve environmental indices, because in many cases they use batteries of old and polluting technologies, The last point on electrification is no less relevant.Today, every electric vehicle sold in Chile includes a portable charger authorized by the Superintendence of Electricity and Fuels.This ensures that regardless of the domestic socket where the vehicles are charged, there is no risk.In the case of the “million peso car”, the charging method, the power and the safety elements it includes are unknown. As a result, users not only risk charging system malfunction, but also electrical hazards, and even fire, if the sockets they are connected to do not have sufficient electrical capacity,” said Diego Mendoza.
Now, in terms of safety, although the Chang Li S1-Pro data sheet indicates that it has dual airbags, the level of safety is very basic, in fact, it only mentions the presence of disc brakes in all four wheels and seat belts. .safety, devoid of ABS brakes and stability control, mandatory elements for a light vehicle.
“A quadricycle with these characteristics will not meet safety requirements both in terms of constructability and safety elements (equipment), since it does not have airbags, ABS, ESP, nor does it meet the lighting regulations, and it will not be equipped with these braking elements 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”, could not be marketed in Chile.
Regarding this problem and seeing what could happen if someone is caught driving this type of non-approved vehicle, the Ministry of Transport told MT La Tercera that “in Chile, any vehicle that wants to circulate on the streets must be counterpart. This is the first step to obtain later the rest of the mandatory documents, such as the patent, the circulation permit and the compulsory insurance. In this sense, any non-homologated vehicle that is inspected by the carabinieri, by the inspection program of the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications or by municipal inspectors, must be withdrawn and a fine ranging from 1 to 1.5 UTM, depending on the Highway Code. ”.
Along the same lines, beyond fines, from Anac they emphasize responsibility and care with what you want to acquire, because according to Diego Mendoza “it can be misleading to think that these are vehicles authorized to circulate on public roads and roads, because they are not, because they do not comply with safety regulations, nor with the rules of construction or connection and charging to the electricity grid. pesos” tries to look like a car, and the buyer can understand that it meets all the driving requirements, as well as the latest requirements recently integrated, and it is not”.
Source: Latercera
I am David Jack and I have been working in the news industry for over 10 years. As an experienced journalist, I specialize in covering sports news with a focus on golf. My articles have been published by some of the most respected publications in the world including The New York Times and Sports Illustrated.
