China's Best-Selling EV Can Drift Really Well

The Geely EX2 Track and EX2 Street concepts are meant to show off the potential of EV enthusiast customization.

Geely EX2 Track

Photo by: Geely

Kevin Williams

By: Kevin Williams

Sep 8, at 3:28pm ET

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The Geely EX2 Street and EX2 Track are two concepts introduced in Brazil meant to show the potential of electric enthusiast driving and modifications.
The Geely EX2 Track has a hydraulic handbrake to make drifting easier.
The EX2 is rear wheel drive, powered by a 114 horsepower motor.

China’s best-selling car, the Geely EX2 (or E2, in some European markets), has made waves all across the world for being a generally pleasant small EV for not much money. Roughly the same size as a Honda Fit, this small hatchback is often one of the cheapest new EV options wherever it is sold. But how it drives has never been its strong suit. I drove one this year and thought the experience was pleasant, but not all that interesting.

But that could soon change. Recently, Geely introduced the EX2 to the Brazilian market, and it revealed two hotted up concept versions for the country's Festival Interlagos last month. The event features fast cars and exhibition laps, but also showcases from manufacturers. This year, the EX2 Street and EX2 Track concepts made their debut.

Geely EX2 Street

Photo by: Geely

The EX2 Street is the more production-viable version of the two. Geely took the EX2, put it on lowered suspension, and upgraded the wheels to 17-inchers. The interior traded its synthetic leather for real leather, and swapped its light-colored headliner for a darker one made of Alcantara.

The EX2 Track takes things further. For starters, the car is painted with aggressive, yet cartoonish, graphics; a front jagged mouth decal with teeth feels right at home with the comic-book-style Geely EX2 logo. The EX2 Track is just as low as its EX2 Street sibling, but the indigo wheels stand out.

Gallery: Geely EX2 Track

Geely EX2 Track

Source: Geely

The interior has been gutted behind the front seats, and in its place is now a roll cage. The front seats now have five-point harnesses. Also, there’s a hydraulic parking brake, equipped with a comically long lever to engage it. The 114 horsepower motor and 40 kWh battery are unchanged, but Geely says the chassis stability and suspension tune make the car more track worthy.

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This isn’t all just for show, either, as if Geely’s making a joke out of making a small, cheap EV turn into a drift car. It’s been seen on social media immolating its tires and doing donuts.

Many small and cheap EVs, like the BYD Seagull, are front-wheel-drive and not really suitable for getting sideways. The Geely EX2 is rear-wheel-drive, has independent suspension, and has disc brakes on all four wheels for corners. On paper, this sounds like all the right elements to be able to get pretty rowdy when pushed. Brazilian YouTube channel ACF figured out as much about a month ago.

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Geely says the EX2 Track and Street aren’t planned for production. But they do show what’s possible for electric vehicle customization, which I think is very important.

Right now, EVs still have a reputation for being soulless and boring appliances. Sporty driving EVs do exist, but they’re expensive. This Geely EX2 is relatively affordable, at a $24,000 base price in Brazil, making it one of the country's cheapest EVs. And if you can turn something like that into a rowdy track car with a few adjustments, then it's clear that car customization and driving enjoyment won't evaporate with the advent of EVs.

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