When I first covered the ARK Zero electric microcar, its specs and pricing sounded too good be true. “I’ll believe it when I see it,” I quipped. Well I guess now I have to believe it, as the company says it has begun making deliveries and shared its first on-road photos.
According to the company, initial deliveries of the ultra-budget vehicle have begun in the UK and France.
Priced at just £5,995 (approximately US $7,500), the UK-based ARK Zero is likely the most affordable electric microcar in the west.
Technically classified as a quadricycle, it is designed to fulfill the car needs of urban dwellers, as long as they don’t need to go too fast or carry more than two people.
The small-statured four-wheeler has a top speed of 28 mph (45 km/h) and an understated 2.2 kW (3 horsepower) electric motor. It’s the same style of rear axle-mounted electric motor used on Chinese micro-cars like my cute little Minghong or my electric mini-truck.
The seating looks like a tandem setup with a pair of seats placed one behind the other, fighter pilot style.
The specs aren’t exactly mind-blowing, but that’s likely because the Ark Zero appears to be designed to meet the lower-performance L6e category of quadricycles.
As an electric vehicle, owners will be able to take advantage of reduced maintenance costs and lower fuel bills, as CEO Yilmaz Bora explained.
At ARK Motors, we are committed to creating the future of urban mobility that is smarter, smoother, and greener. By eliminating fossil fuel reliance and embracing electric vehicles like the ARK Zero, we can foster positive change in our communities and protect our planet for future generations.
ARK’s whirlwind path to production has blown by eerily quickly, with the company going from product announcement before the end of the second quarter this year to supposed first deliveries now starting before the end of the third quarter.
Could you see yourself traveling around your city? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comment section below.
City Dwellers’s Take
I was skeptical when I first heard about ARK, and deliveries are now welcome news, but I’d like to see one of these in real life before I make a final verdict.
The fact that you have to pay half of the price up front to reserve one combined with the fact that the company’s website still seems sprinkled with typos don’t bode well. The breakneck go-to-market speed to the apparent lack of online presence before May of this year are also still a bit worrisome to me.
But hey, the vehicle looks great, and if this company can deliver on its promises, then I’d drive one!
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