On August 31, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko tested the latest Tesla model and instructed domestic manufacturers to launch production of Belarusian electric cars as soon as possible. According to the press service of the head of state, he said this at a meeting dedicated to the development of the Belarusian automobile industry, which was attended by his assistant Alexander Kosinets, Minister of Industry Vitaly Vovk, Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences Vladimir Gusakov and developers of Belarusian electric cars.

The President said that he had already familiarized himself in detail with the recently created Belarusian electric car based on Geely. The Academy of Sciences presented this development on August 22. "I have familiarized myself with it carefully, looked at all your details. I don't know how high the level of the engine you created, the chassis, and so on, is, but it looks decent on the outside," Lukashenko noted. He believes that the domestic development is still, of course, far from the level of Tesla and further technical work is needed in this direction. "We need an electric car. Maybe at that plant, maybe separately. Whether you will create it with the Americans, with the Germans, or with the British is your business. You must make me proposals in the near future," Lukashenko's press service quotes him as saying. He suggested taking the Tesla he tested as a model, noting that it is the best there is.

According to the president, electric cars are being developed all over the world. "This is the future, we cannot lag behind. With our competencies, with such science, we cannot lag behind," he said. "Nobody the day after tomorrow, in the near future, will buy cars with an internal combustion engine in large quantities, as they did before. Compare this car with the one we created, and strive for this."

The Belarusian electric car is based on the serial GeelySC7 car assembled in Belarus. It can travel about 150 km on one charge. It charges either in 6 hours (from a 220-volt power source) or in 3-4 hours (380 volts), TUT.BY reported. During tests, it accelerated to 110 km/h, but this is not the limit. The engine power of the first sample is 80 hp, it is designed only for city driving. The entire component base of the car's traction electric drive is localized in Belarus, the purchased element is only the traction battery - an electricity storage device, the tender for its supply was won by the Russian company Ener Z (St. Petersburg). On August 31, Lukashenko demanded that the development of his own battery-storage device be immediately started.

Lukashenko Demands to Establish Production of Belarusian Teslas