Photo: Kandi
“Most affordable electric vehicles” – this is the simple phrase a manufacturer going by the name Kandi uses to lure in American customers. Wait, you’ve never heard of Kandi? Don’t worry, few people here did.
Kandi Technologies Group is a Chinese battery and electric vehicle company, one of the few from the Asian state to have dared venturing into the great U.S. of A. It was back in the summer of last year when the K27 and K23 were introduced as the cheapest EVs on the market, selling for under $13,000 after tax credits and such. One doesn’t get much in terms of range or performance, but what did you expect from such a cheap machine (full details on both cars here)?
Those two products are described by Kandi as neighborhood vehicles, meaning they’re to be used for short trips around the block. But if your block is in the middle of nowhere, and there are only mud trails left and right, then Kandi has something else planned for you.
Enter the K32, the company’s first “off-road all-electric dual motor 4-wheel drive” vehicle to have made it stateside. It’s a pickup truck in design, but not in capability, and Kandi doesn’t call it that. It prefers the terms UTV, and off-road recreational vehicle, because that's what it's used to making. What that means is you get something that looks like a truck, but packs the punch of a low-end side-by-side.
At the core of the “all-electric dual motor 4-wheel drive” system sits hardware capable of developing merely 28 hp, giving the tame beast a top speed of just 65 mph (105 kph). The lithium-ion battery needs 7.5 hours to recharge, and depending on the version you choose (there are two of them), you get either 60 miles (96 km) or 150 miles (241 km) of range.
Clearly not as capable as its bulky body would have you believe, the K32 will sell for $27,699 for the Standard, tiny range version, and $34,499 for the still tiny Long Range version. Cheaper than full-grown electric pickup trucks, few as they are, but quite expensive for the type of vehicle this thing really is. If you plan on buying one, get ready to wait until the first quarter of next year to get delivery.
Those two products are described by Kandi as neighborhood vehicles, meaning they’re to be used for short trips around the block. But if your block is in the middle of nowhere, and there are only mud trails left and right, then Kandi has something else planned for you.
Enter the K32, the company’s first “off-road all-electric dual motor 4-wheel drive” vehicle to have made it stateside. It’s a pickup truck in design, but not in capability, and Kandi doesn’t call it that. It prefers the terms UTV, and off-road recreational vehicle, because that's what it's used to making. What that means is you get something that looks like a truck, but packs the punch of a low-end side-by-side.
At the core of the “all-electric dual motor 4-wheel drive” system sits hardware capable of developing merely 28 hp, giving the tame beast a top speed of just 65 mph (105 kph). The lithium-ion battery needs 7.5 hours to recharge, and depending on the version you choose (there are two of them), you get either 60 miles (96 km) or 150 miles (241 km) of range.
Clearly not as capable as its bulky body would have you believe, the K32 will sell for $27,699 for the Standard, tiny range version, and $34,499 for the still tiny Long Range version. Cheaper than full-grown electric pickup trucks, few as they are, but quite expensive for the type of vehicle this thing really is. If you plan on buying one, get ready to wait until the first quarter of next year to get delivery.
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