It may look like an oversized tricycle with a hard-body shell, rather than a conventional sedan. But with room for two passengers plus groceries and a projected price tag of $US12,000, the Arcimoto SRK could be the first electric car to really qualify for the term ‘affordable’.
While existing all-electric models are priced on par with luxury cars, and even the promised mass-market Tesla Model 3 will carry a sticker price of about US$35,000 before options, Oregon start-up Arcimoto intends to begin producing its stripped-down urban three-wheeler later this year for around one-third the price of Tesla’s entry-level vehicle.
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“The development quest has been to tick all the boxes for the type of daily driving we do, going to work, going to the grocery store, going out on a date,” company founder and president Mark Frohnmayer told Treehugger. “And to do that on pure electric for a cost that is affordable for the mass market.”
The vehicle will feature enclosed cabin seating for two with cargo space (and snap-in body parts), a full roll cage, and belt harnesses for both occupants, but will weigh about a quarter as much as a standard car. Its maker says it will deliver a top speed of 128 kilometres per hour, and go from zero to 96 kph in 7.5 seconds. The SRK is expected to have a range of about 110 kilometres per charge on a 12-kilowatt/hour battery, or nearly twice that on an optional 20-kWh battery. And according to Arcimoto, the enclosed vehicle isn’t considered a motorcycle, so it won’t require a helmet or special licence.
The company is taking reservations with a US$100 deposit—exactly 10% of the deposit on that down-market Tesla.
