Starting at just 9,999 Euros (US$ 12,000), the Dartz FreZe Nikrob is aiming to become the least expensive way to get into an electric vehicle in Europe. The two-door city car will be good for up to 200 km on a charge and will seat four. And with its sub-10-grand starting price, it will be about 10 grand less than a Smart EQ Fortwo. You could get a Renault Twizy for less, but maybe Dartz doesn’t count it because it doesn’t have doors and is a microcar.
The FreZe Nikrob will be based
on the Wuling Mini-EV, which sells for the equivalent of US$ 4,500 in China. Based
on the camouflaged press photos Dartz has shared with us, the Nikrob shouldn’t
be a massive departure in terms of looks. Inside, meanwhile, it doesn’t look
like too much has changed from the Wuling, which isn’t a bad thing. Honestly,
as far as cheap microcars go, the interior looks great. And it can look even
better.
Dartz is offering a range of options, like
rear seat delete. You may want to keep those rear seats, though, because they
(along with the fronts) can be finished in leaf leather. BeLeaf is a vegan
leather replacement made by Nova Kaeru, a company from Brazil that harvests
leaves from the Alocasia Macrorrhiza (or elephant ear) plant. The Dartz will
also be getting some gear to make it more compatible with the European market.
That means new headlights with DRLs. The company also previously said that it
was looking to add airbags and electronic stability control. All of which could
account for the price increase over the Wuling.
It also accounts for the increase in range
over the Wuling, which tops out at 175 km in China. According to
Dartz CEO Leonard Yankelovich, the FreZe Nikrob basically gained the range
thanks to more efficient accessories. For unknown reasons on this car is used
outdated halogen lamps which easy electricity like globetrotter,” Yankelovich
told us in an email. “We change them on LED and get what we need – additional
range. Plus we did some more electric system upgrades.”
Dartz is targeting the German, Norwegian,
and French markets at first. Specifically, the company told Carbuzz it wanted
to get the car into rideshare fleets. American sales are not out of the
question, but it isn’t really a question the company is prioritizing for now.
