Electric city cars are popular in Europe and Squad Mobility is throwing their hat into the ring with a new solar-powered model. Named the Squad (Solar Quad), the vehicle is the brainchild of former Lightyear employees Robert Hoevers and Chris Klok, who envisioned an affordable solar-powered vehicle for everyone. The resulting model is a two-seater EV that “bridges the gap between cars and two-wheelers” such as scooters and mopeds. It features a relatively basic design, which incorporates large windows, an exposed roll cage, and stylish wheels. They’re joined by removable doors and a roof-mounted solar panel.
The latter is the star of the show and
Squad Mobility says the panel can provide up to 20 km of range per
day. That’s notable as the company says the average city car user in the
European Union only travels around 12 km per day.
Since you can’t count on sunny weather,
the Squad features swappable battery packs that enable owners to exchange a low
battery for one that is fully charged. The battery pack can be removed for
charging at regular household outlets and they’re slated to give the Squad a
range of up to 100 km. Given that the city car was designed to be
affordable, it’s not surprising to learn the interior is relatively austere.
However, the Squad has a digital instrument cluster and an available climate
control system. The model also has a phone holder, so owners can use their
smartphone for navigation and infotainment.
On the performance front, there isn’t much
to report as the model is slated to have two rear-mounted electric motors that
produce a combined output of 5 hp. That isn’t much, but it should
give the vehicle a top speed of 45 km/h. The Squad is slated to be
launched next year with a base price of € 6,250 (US$ 6,570) before VAT. The company
is currently accepting pre-orders and they also have plans to offer a more
powerful, four-seat variant that can hit speeds of 70 km/h.
