Lada goes electric, but not with the Niva

Times are tough in the Russian automotive industry, but that has not stopped Lada from debuting its first electric car.

The Lada e-Largus is a small two-door delivery van based on the previous-generation Dacia Logan – from Renault's Eastern European budget brand – built in Russia.

Lada is also working to turn a site in the city of Izhevsk — the capital city of Udmurtia, west of the Ural Mountains in Eastern Europe — into an industrial park, according to US website Autoblog.

AvtoVAZ, the parent company of Lada, has already moved to re-start production of the petrol-powered SUV version of the Largus using stockpiled spare parts, as reported by the Reuters news agency, after Western sanctions forced the closure of its production lines.

It has also returned the classic Lada Niva to its line-up.

Lada is even combating a lack of imported parts with an 'anti-sanctions' Granta — its affordable four-door passenger car — without key safety features including airbags and anti-lock brakes.

The Lada Granta Classic was made possible when Russian authorities relaxed the country's safety standards, in a move described as “very retrograde” by the CEO and president of Global NCAP, David Ward.

Only the barest details of the e-Largus have been made public by Lada, with a single picture and a technical illustration of the electric components.

Lada has taken a simplified approach to the electric switch on the Largus, replacing its 1.6-litre petrol engine with the components for its electric drivetrain and fitting a T-shaped battery pack below the rear floor.

But there are no technical details on motor type, range or performance.

It is also likely to be limited by a shortage of charging infrastructure in the Udmurt Republic, where Lada's Izhevsk plant is located.

“Right now, there are approximately 10 charging stations in the republic,” the head of the Udmurt Replica, Alexander Brechalov, has reportedly said.