Citroen’s Ami ultra mini electric car could be the future for inner city motoring. It’s affordable at just €6,000 (£5,550) and offers up 46 miles (75km) of range from a full charge thanks to its small 5.5 kWh battery. The two seater car that’s aimed at young city types is 2.4 metres long and 1.4 metres wide. For comparison, the Smart Car ForTwo is 2.7 metres long and is 1.65 metres wide, so the Ami is bijou.
The front-wheel-drive car weighs just 471 kilos and has a maximum speed of 28mph (45kph). Citroen have located the battery in the back to help provide an equal distribution of load. Inside, the Ami is simple but modern looking, and feels light and airy thanks to its panoramic roof.
It might look like a cartoon car but it’s cleverly futuristic, and while the looks might divide people, it is highly functional. Plus, being small makes it easy to park in spaces where other cars couldn’t even dream of fitting into.
In France the Ami is classed as a quadricycle. This means it can be driven on a moped licence, so French teens as young as 14 will be able to drive the Ami. In other European countries this would be 16 depending on individual laws. This might sound scary, but surely it has to be safer than the current trend of electric scooters that are popular among young people?
The range isn’t huge but for short journeys, small shopping trips or dropping a child off at school, it could be the ideal affordable electric car. Plus, there’s a long list of business and industrial uses where a car like this could be useful.
At present the Ami is only available in France but will be available in several other European countries from early next year. There are no plans at the moment to launch the Ami in the UK but this might change if demand dictates it.
