This Affordable Urban Runabout Aims for an Ambitious New Standard of Driving

There’s a new challenger inbound that’s looking to take on tiny cars like the Fiat Topolino with a convenience like no other.

Front view of a small orange vehicle with two brown seats, black steering wheel, and round headlights.

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By Gray Van Dyke

Published 1 hour ago

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Between the Fiat Topolino, the Amble One and an increasing number of other electric low-speed vehicles, it seems the micromobility space is only growing by the day.

Small as they are, though, they’re big in aspirations. They’re not only trying to convince drivers to downsize but also with something other than, ya know, a golf cart.

Welcome to Moonshots: A series exploring the big ideas that could reshape the future of products. Discover more here.

Even still, none are quite as ambitious in what they’re hoping to accomplish as the latest startup to arrive on the scene. It’s Chip Motors, and it’s announced an EV that will park, drive and even run your errands.

Purple electric convertible car with two passengers driving on a sunny street near a tall observation tower. — Chip takes the personification of your vehicle to the next level.

Chip, take the wheel

Like the company, the vehicle is named ‘Chip,’ and it gives something that’s a cross between a Moke and a Jeepster. Of course, it does offer a unique ‘character’ of its own… It has a literal face on the front thanks to an emotive LED grille.

Side view of a small, open-frame orange utility vehicle with brown seats and black roll bars. — With room for four and plenty more, it promises a lot of utility despite its diminutive size.

In any case, according to an interview with InsideEVs, cofounder Jameson Detweiler saw a need for Chip emerge a few years ago during the pandemic. Even outside of private neighborhoods and gated communities, drivers ditched cars in favor of golf carts for errands.

Accordingly, the Chip EV is essentially meant to be a smarter, more optimized runabout. Top speed will come to 25 mph, and the 15-kWh battery is claimed to be good for a range in excess of 100 miles.

Lavender open-sided electric vehicle with tan roof and seats, carrying a striped beach chair and orange surfboard, parked by palm trees. — It promises a natural option for beach communities.

Of course, the real value proposition is its Chip Go! functionality. By relying on a team of remote drivers, Chip plans to offer owners the ability to have their vehicle look for a parking spot, return home and complete trivialities like going through the car wash.

The company will supposedly assume liability and it’ll only be available when the Chip is unoccupied, but it’s still a bold idea. Especially for the price (we’ll get to that in a bit).

Personalization aplenty

Beyond its playful expressions and spooky self-driving ability, Chip does bring its fair share of more grounded qualities, too.

Small purple electric car with a digital smiley face on the grille parked between two large pickup trucks. — While it’s compact, it stands taller than you might expect.

In base spec, it offers seating for up to four, but there’s also a larger size that gains an additional two chairs. Together with a standard open-top configuration, a rugged plastic construction and a lack of doors, it shows a lot of promise as a small gear-hauler.

Assuming you need the security or coverage, though, Chip will offer several roof options and both tube-style and full doors.

Towards that end, it heralds a no shortage of personalization potential. Like the Slate pickup before it, Chip has arrived with customization opportunities aplenty. From body colors, liveries and decals to tires, wheels and flooring, you can have it your way.

Beige open-door compact utility vehicle with brown seats and cardboard boxes in the back, parked on a residential street. — The availability of tube doors and other accessories means it can serve as an urban runabout, too.

Rounded out by add-ons like surfboard and bike racks, as well as, yes, a frunk-mounted TV and speakers, it is a vehicle that would bring the party. Let’s hope it doesn’t fizzle out during the pregame.

Availability and pricing

According to Chip Motors’ website, the four-seater is to start at $15,000, while the six-seater will start at $18,000. Deliveries are scheduled for 2027, and you can configure and reserve yours now with a refundable $250 deposit.

Expensive as that might seem for something that’s limited to 35-mph roads, you have to remember: Even established EVs costing many times more have yet to offer this kind of convenience.

Purple compact electric convertible car with digital smiley face grille driving on a city street.

Chip Life Utility Vehicle

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About the Author: Gray is an associate editor at Gear Patrol, covering cars, motorcycles and anything else with wheels. When he’s not chasing the latest industry news, he’s probably wrenching on one of many projects. For better or worse, he believes classics make perfectly practical daily drivers.

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