First come, first served: Uniti offers exclusive Founders Series electric car

Swedish electric carmaker has opened up its website for those keen to get their hands on its first run of “Founders Series” Uniti One electric cars before they go on sale to the general public.

The diminutive two-seater, 100% electric car has been touted as a possibly groundbreaking vehicle for the EV market, with its price-tag expected to be in the vicinity of a very affordable $20,000.

It has even been suggested that it may be built in Australia, with Dr Michael Molitor, an Australian director on the board of Uniti Sweden telling the Select Committee into EVs last year that a production facility in Adelaide was under consideration.

Now, early adopters can register their interest in securing one of the first 2020 Uniti One cars to be made, as indicated in an pre-order email obtained by The Driven.

The 2020 Uniti One Founders Series will be offered on a first come, first served basis, based on those paying a full deposit this year.

Although small in size, the specs of the vehicle are likely to spark interest; with up to 350km of range, the electric city car would provide more than enough distance for everyday driving.

Uniti has also said that the Uniti One will come with autonomous technology, although that it will not be available for use until regulatory frameworks are in place.

With what is described as a “very limited production run”, it will be interesting to see how long before expressions of interest are closed.

Micro cars, whose modest dimensions make them perfect for city driving and parking in small spaces, are very popular in urban environments and have the added benefit of costing less to make, and hence less to buy.

With electric vehicles currently costed higher than their internal combustion engine counterparts due to the price of batteries compared to engines, electric micro cars present a unique opportunity to transform the small car market.

This potential has also been recognised by other parties, not least including the fastest man on earth, Usain Bolt.

In May, Bolt unveiled his version of the electric micro car – the Nano Bolt.

With the added feature of a swappable battery, and an expected price of $US10,000 ($A14,200), it could be a credible competitor for the Swedish Uniti One, depending on final release markets.

One thing is relatively sure – considering past comments from the Swedish carmaker, the Uniti One will more than likely be built in RHD, while the same may not be likely for the Bolt.

Although a release date for Australia was originally slated for late 2018-2019, it’s now clear it will be at least another 6 months before the first Uniti Ones hit the roads, although the company has apparently already taken as much as $US60 million ($A85 million) worth of orders according to Forbes.

Will the Founders Series match the same low pricing first indicated by Uniti in 2018? As a limited run – most likely with a focus to raise funds to kickstart a larger volume production run – we doubt it.

Uniti have been contacted for comment and we will keep you updated as news comes to hand.