Dutch EV developer Squad Mobility has officially launched its Squad Solar City Car for pre-order. Priced from just €6,250 ($A9,325), the small two-seater compact city car boasts a solar panel on the roof capable of providing up to 20-kilometres of range each day.
If there is enough interest from Australia, Squad says it may consider prioritising a future launch here.
We first heard of the Squad Solar City Car a year ago when Squad Mobility founders Robert Hoevers and Chris Klok unveiled the small electric quadricycle, designed specifically for the urban mobility sector as a small and smart city car.
The four-wheel Squad is built small, built for driving in the city, and for both private and shared mobility use. It offers a top speed of 45km/h.
With a swappable battery providing 100-kilometres of range, it has a solar panel on the roof. This can provide up to 20-kilometres on a sunny day in Europe (likely to be more in a sunnier country like Australia).
The Squad Solar City Car seats two its small size ensures it can zip around cities, avoiding parking hassles, traffic jams, and avoiding range anxiety.
In fact, the Squad is small enough that three can park in a single parking spot. This is thanks to a footprint that measures only 2.4-metres-squared.
Currently available for pre-order on the company’s website for €6250 (which converts to around $A9,325, European pre-orders start at only €50 for the regular production version.
A pre-order fee of €5,000 is necessary to guarantee one of the first 100 Signature Edition Squads for the more costly price of €9,300. For €50, customers can pre-order the next 900 Pioneer Edition models at a slightly cheaper €7,050.
Pre-orders for overseas customers
Importantly, for those outside Europe pre-orders are free for the €6,250 base model. This is due to the fact that Squad will use pre-order numbers to determine what country they will expand into next. If there is enough demand from Australia, it could see us prioritised for future expansion.
Squad is also looking at providing leasing or subscription options which could start at a monthly cost of as low as €100.
Squad Mobility is also expecting to launch a Squad with a more powerful 70km/h in the L7 category at a later stage. This would seat 4 people instead of only 2. The current Squad will be homologated in the light 4-wheeled L6e category in Europe.
Pricing for the base model is based on the minimum of inclusions. Pre-order details for the base model version speak of “optional doors”, “optional air conditioning”, and “optional extra batteries”.
By comparison, the more expensive Signature and Pioneer editions come standard with “full doors with windows”.
It does however have a strong roll cage, three-point seatbelts, and a full crash structure at the front and rear. Therefore, it may be suitable for certain use cases.
Inside a Squad, the company boasts of a “surprisingly spacious” interior.
Squad describes it “like a small living room on wheels with two comfortable chairs, large windows for a panoramic view, a well-arranged dashboard with space for your bag or laptop, cup holders, a phone holder and a USB charger. Getting you dry and safe to your destination.”
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.