Tech

Citroën is making a cargo version of its tiny electric car

This would be perfect for food delivery and not much else.

Citroën Ami for transporting cargo.

Available in Europe, the AMI (the French word for “friend”) is a $6,000 electric car that’s most suitable for city commuters.

At eight feet long, the car packs just two seats and can go 46 miles on a charge, with a top speed of 28 mph. In France you don’t even need a license to use it, making it perfect for teenagers wanting some independence.

Citroën

You have to wonder, though, how could such a tiny car possibly be converted for use transporting cargo? Simple: you remove one of the seats. Only in France, folks.

Taking the place of the side passenger seat is a plastic bin.

Citroën

The bin reaches about the height of an armrest, and has a plastic cover that can function as a shelf where the driver can place documents, or maybe a tablet when they want to work on the go. The cover can be removed in the event you want to store taller items.

Citroën says the “My AMI Cargo” has about 400L of storage volume.

It’s hard to imagine what types of cargo you could realistically transport in the AMI, but food delivery is one obvious application.

Delivery drivers can only handle a handful of food orders at a time, and in many European cities roads are too narrow for vans, but the distance is too far to deliver on foot.

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Citroën envisions the car being used by local services companies, like flower shops and other retailers, to deliver all types of goods straight to customers.

The only concern is the charge time for the AMI is three hours, which might be a problem.

The Citroën My AMI Cargo is set to go on sale in Europe for €6,490, or about $7,800. It can also be leased for €24.28 ($29.54).

Don’t expect to buy one in the US, though — Citroën doesn’t sell into North America. Though if you really want to try it, the AMI is available to take for a spin through a limited car-sharing service in D.C.

Citroën

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