Japanese EV automaker HW Electro (HWE) says its delightfully boxy Puzzle will come to the US in 2025. Extra “kei van” than kei automobile, the electrical car has rooftop photo voltaic panels and gear for industrial catastrophe aid (together with a crowbar!). However it may very well be equally interesting for these wanting an EV with maxed-out appeal and a minimal environmental footprint. It’s on observe to be HWE’s first car accessible within the US market.
HW Electro CEO Xiao Weicheng stated that the Puzzle “embodies HWE’s core values of sustainability, connectivity and social contribution.” Its photo voltaic panels imply house owners may maybe drive it for for much longer than typical EVs with out plugging in. It additionally contains emergency options like energy retailers, photovoltaic panels, built-in WiFi, USB ports, a primary help equipment and a crowbar. Notably, these options are all on the car’s exterior.
As reported by The Unbiased and Electrek, HWE unveiled the Puzzle micro-van on the 2023 Japan Mobility Present earlier than teasing 2025 US availability this week in New York. “With Puzzle, a new world begins,” Weicheng predicted.
The EV, at the moment nonetheless within the idea stage, has a two-person cabin and appears strikingly smaller than the gargantuan EVs People are rising accustomed to. The Puzzle aligns with Japan’s regulatory definition of a kei automobile, best for tight or crowded roadways and cramped parking spots. The car has 15-inch wheels, and it’s over six ft tall, practically 5 ft broad and over 11 ft lengthy. It has a cargo capability of 770 lbs and sliding rear doorways for straightforward cargo administration. Its sole passenger seat folds down to spice up its hauling capability (and might double as a piece floor when not in use).
HWE hasn’t but revealed the Puzzle’s value or max pace. Auto Evolution studies that its lithium iron phosphate battery will provide a 125-mile vary.
It’s exhausting to foretell what America’s EV market will seem like by the point the Puzzle arrives in 2025. Though gross sales are rising, shopper demand has fallen behind auto trade projections, leaving room for uncertainty because the world tries to keep away from local weather change’s most catastrophic eventualities.