Tiny electric cars for everyday use

The new car maker Kate has created an everyday car to suit our sustainability needs

Spotted: Running errands, picking up some shopping, or seeing a friend: let’s face it, most of our car journeys are short. In France, for instance, 60 per cent of workers use their car for home-to-work journeys of under five kilometres. These short and frequent trips aren’t without impact either, helping to make passenger cars by far the biggest polluters of road transport in the European Union (EU). For those who want to be more eco-friendly, cycling these small distances instead isn’t always practical. So, to marry our modern-day needs with our sustainability needs, French car manufacturer Kate has developed a lightweight electric car. 

Kate’s upcoming vehicle, called K1, is a vision of the micro electric car of tomorrow, invented for everyday use. Kate has shed the unnecessary weight and size of a standard passenger vehicle to create an affordable and environmentally friendly four-seater, four-door car. 

The company seeks to change mobility by producing the most minimalistic electric car possible. On paper, the K1 will be a heavy quadricycle, reaching top speeds of 90 kmph (56 mph). But this tiny vehicle is not to be underestimated: Kate hopes that the K1 will be durable for years, opting for long-lasting batteries and improvements via hardware and software updates. 

To accelerate the development of its K1 microcar, Kate has recently raised €7 million in funding. With this financial backing, the company aims to properly introduce the micro vehicle later this year and start selling it in 2024. 

Springwise has previously spotted other innovations investing in micro-mobility as a climate solution, from fleets of microcars to solar-powered tuk-tuks. 

Written By: Georgia King