Last updated on April 22nd, 2020 at 11:35 am
The Uniti One is a small three-seater all-electric vehicle that's tipped to arrive in Sweden and the UK by mid-2020. Prices for the compact car will start from just £15,100, making this one of the most affordable EVs on the market.
The Swedish-designed vehicle is engineered in the UK; its cute bubble-shaped design and form factor are somewhat reminiscent of a Smart car – it's a mere 3,222mm long and 1,709mm wide including side mirrors.
The city car comes with a 12 kWh battery pack as standard, which yields a 93-mile range in one charge. The optional 24 kWh model extends the car's range to an impressive 186 miles. The latter can be charged from 20% to 80% in just 17 minutes, while the former takes just nine minutes. This is made possible through the car's 50kW CCS charger.
The car is extremely light. At 600 kg, the Unity One's 67 bhp electric motor propels the car forwards and achieves 0-62 mph in 9.9 seconds; top speed sits at 75 mph. The car has two selectable driving modes to choose from: City and Boost, where the latter tightens up the accelerator and makes the steering wheel a touch heavier – a similar principle to that of a modern-day vehicle with Sport mode enabled.
In terms of design, the Uniti One is available in three colours: ‘Scandium', ‘Graphite' and ‘Titanium'. As you might imagine, the car has two doors and a rear boot, only – there's 155 litres of boot space but with the two rear seats stowed away, you'll have an impressive 760 litres of storage capacity. Impressive.
Inside, the car comes equipped with two touchscreens that run on Google's Android Automotive OS. Google Maps among other Android apps such as Spotify can be used through the in-car infotainment system.
The car's cabin can be personalised with RGB mood lighting, which subtly accents the roof, dashboard and doors. An electrochromic panoramic roof comes as standard – the cabin's brightness can be controlled through the touchscreen displays, where it'll take a matter of seconds to shift from a transparent sunroof to a fully opaque one.
To shake things up a little, the Uniti One does away with a traditional key or fob. Instead, the car needs to be unlocked through Uniti’s secure mobile app. So, you'll want to keep your phone charged before getting into the vehicle! This might seem inconvenient to some, while others will appreciate the added security this gives to the vehicle.
Elsewhere, Uniti has partnered up with energy supplier E.ON to provide five years of free solar-powered energy for home charging. Unfortunately, the offer seems to be valid in Sweden, only.
Nevertheless, I love forward-thinking companies and it would seem Uniti is one of them; partnering up with a well-known electric supplier to provide free home charging for its first all-electric car and designing an affordable all-electric car? Yes, please.
Uniti CEO, Lewis Horne commented: “This is just the start of our journey towards a more sustainable future. I'm immensely proud of what the team has achieved by bringing this innovative vehicle to market in such a short time. But it's not enough to merely challenge convention. Our goal for the Uniti One is for it to become a catalyst for positive change in our industry and I'm delighted at the way in which this vision has so clearly resonated with people across the globe.”
You can place an order for the Unity One through the company's website.