The Kilow brand is launching the first 100% electric vehicle designed in Cluses, in Haute-Savoie. Compact, light and ultra-economical, this retro car is aimed at individuals and professionals for local trips. Around twenty vehicles have already been marketed.
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This is a first in Haute-Savoie. The Kilow automobile brand, from the Savoy group, recently designed the very first 100% electric vehicle at its premises in Cluses. The small car inspired by the 60s, between a Jeep and a Citroën Méhari, was named “La Bagnole” by the company.
“It is a two-seater vehicle with a pick-up type loading surface built for particular uses, which has been sized to the size of a pallet,” describes Bertrand Brême, director of the Kilow brand.
With a weight of around 400 kg and a top speed of 80 km/h, La Bagnole is a light quadricycle, practical for daily travel, leisure or even work. Its main asset? It consumes ten times less energy than a conventional electric car.
You can (…) transport up to 150 kg in the rear cargo bed with two passengers.
Bertrand Brême, director of the Kilow brand.
The marketing of the latest model was officially launched on October 14 at the opening of the World Motor Show in Paris. Despite its small size, La Bagnole has something to offer: “In the approval, up to 150 kg can be transported in the rear cargo bed with two passengers”, specifies Bertrand Brême.
In the Cluses factory where it is manufactured, around thirty employees are dedicated to the project for an investment of 10 million euros. If most of the parts, such as the bodywork, tires and engine, are manufactured on site, it is the battery which is the main revolution of the vehicle.
The battery that equips the car is a recent technology.
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© Benjamin Métral and Charlène Personnaz.
Developed in partnership with the Parisian start-up Pinco, the battery is a recent technology: “These are batteries that we manufacture here. They have the particularity of being repairable cell by cell. A battery is made up of more than 340 cells and we are able to identify the one which shows signs of weakness and replace it” , rejoices Bertrand Brême.
With its modular pickup style, the vehicle is gaining popularity in the market. “It’s a market that is growing rapidly for (…) local travel uses,” underlines the director of the Kilow brand while praising the low pollution of the vehicle.
It’s off to a very good start, we now have several hundred pre-orders to date. What we are ultimately aiming for is a project where we produce several thousand units per year.
Arthur Allamand, commercial director of the Kilow brand.
Kilow also targets craftsmen and professionals, whose diesels are now banned from low emission zones (ZFE). The first orders have just been delivered, around twenty vehicles since September.
“It’s off to a very good start, we now have several hundred pre-orders to date. What we’re ultimately aiming for is a project where we produce several thousand units per year,” ambitions Arthur Allamand, commercial director of the Kilow brand. The Bagnole is available in two models, one of which is intended for drivers without a license.
