The Lisbon-based startup's new electric buggy boldly eschews traditional automotive features like aerodynamic efficiency, highway viability, and doors.
While major automakers sweat over aerodynamic efficiency and battery range, Portuguese EV startup Amble has zagged in a radically different direction by shipping a luxury buggy that cannot legally be driven to a hospital. Dubbed the "G-Wagen of golf carts," the low-speed electric vehicle is designed explicitly for consumers who need a dedicated machine to travel the 400 yards between their front porch and the neighborhood tennis courts.
The vehicle boasts a top speed of roughly 19 miles per hour and ships without any complex self-driving compute, opting instead for a steering wheel and a cup holder large enough to accommodate a Stanley tumbler. By marketing the buggy strictly as an "ideal second car," industry analysts note the startup has successfully freed itself from the burdensome roadmap of building a first car that can merge onto an interstate.
We looked at the current EV market and realized no one was serving the crucial demographic of executives who are too tired to walk to the end of their cul-de-sac but too proud to ride a bicycle.
The company's promotional materials highlight the vehicle's utility in high-density luxury subdivisions, noting that it completely eliminates the range anxiety associated with traditional EVs by being physically incapable of traveling far enough to cause it. Amble claims this built-in geographic moat ensures owners will never have to worry about finding a public charging station, as they will inevitably be forced to turn around within sight of their own garage.
At press time, Amble engineers were reportedly beta-testing a $15,000 third car designed exclusively to carry the charging cable for the second car.