French startup Kilow has attended the Paris motor show with its first creation: La Bagnole. The name translates roughly to “jalopy,” which gets at the spirit of this self-deprecating, fun-loving, two-seater, EV.
The small Jeep Willys-like off-roader was created with the view that less is better. It, therefore, was stripped of gadgets and artifice, and weighs less than 350 kg (772 lbs). That decision was made, Kilow says, to allow drivers to experience the joy of driving their microcar.
Power comes from a 21.4 hp (16 kW/21.7 PS) motor that can get it up to 40 km/h (25 mph) in four seconds. It can also get the little EV up to a top speed of 45 km/h (28 mph), if you don’t want to have to register it for the road and in which case, you can drive it without a license, or up to a top speed of 80 km/h (50 mph) if you don’t mind dealing with French registration.
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Its batteries—which are, Auto Mag points out, shaped like jerrycans—can get the La Bagnole from 70 to 140 km (43 to 87 miles) per charge, depending on trim. That’s not an enormous distance, but the automaker claims that it can be charged in just a few hours, even from a standard outlet.
Kilow recognizes that, regardless of how it’s registered, La Bagnole is a bit of a toy. It has, therefore, proposed selling it with its own toy box. Beyond being a cute novelty, the toy box is actually useful, since it is topped with solar panels and can be used to recharge the vehicle.
That could be particularly useful in rural and remote areas, where finding a plug is harder. And La Bagnole is likely to find itself in those areas, because, as you can tell from its design, it’s intended to be a capable off-roader.
Kilow also says that La Bagnole can be optioned to feature refrigeration, can be made waterproof, have more security, and more compartments. Prices, though, start at €9,900 ($9,751 USD at current exchange rates), and Kilow says that first deliveries will occur in January 2023.
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