Good things always come in small packages seems like a saying invented for the sake of settling for less and not feeling bitter about it. That is, until you see the Bako B1, the teeniest-tiniest cargo hauler with incredibly high goals of making city life better.
Our cities are getting more crowded, noisier, and more polluted by the day, and there's literally not much we can do in terms of expanding the existing infrastructure to accommodate the increasing number of cars. But we could do something about the cars themselves, with options ranging from switching to electric vehicles and carpooling to ditching cars altogether in favor of more efficient and sustainable means of transport, whether public transport or two-wheelers.
Bako Motors is betting on electric vehicles. Bako Motors is a relatively new startup from Tunisia, with backing from investors in Europe, like Luxembourg, France, and Germany. It previously made headlines at the 2021 edition of the IAA Mobility Show (the former Munich Motor Show), where it presented the concept for Sunny, an enclosed solar-electric trike that would be meant for cargo hauling.
Unlike many auto concepts that made headlines and earned public support, Sunny was able to grow out of the concept slash virtual stage of development.
Photo: Bako Motors
Sunny has now grown into a production model, the B1. The name is less impacting and perhaps less memorable because of it, but the vehicle itself remains a standout. That's because it's not just an EV but an electric vehicle that uses solar energy to extend its per-charge range.
The Bako B1 is offered in two specs, the B10 and the B15, with the main difference between the two being in battery capacity and, as such, estimated per-charge range. The former comes with a 100-km (62-mile) estimate, while the latter has a 150-km (93-mile) estimate on a single charge. The bad news is that Bako doesn't mention whether either estimate takes into account the roof-mounted solar cells or not.
As a side note, proposals for solar-electric vehicles aren't a rarity on the EV market. The rarity is in actual cases where they translated into efficient vehicles for everyday use, either because exposure to the sun isn't enough to generate the necessary amount of energy or because the requirement is higher than what the panels can generate even with proper exposure.
Photo: Bako Motors
That's probably why Bako B1 goes for a hybrid model, including a lithium battery with a 3-hour fast charging time as the main source for the 3,000W motor. That motor develops 95 Nm of torque, enough to move a total payload of 300 kg (661 lbs) at speeds of up to 45 kph.
That's not even close to what you get with an electric passenger car, but it's because this isn't a passenger car: it's a cargo solution for delivery fleets, specifically, one designed for the first- and last-mile rides.
The idea is simple: you get a fleet of B1s instead of bigger or more polluting variants, and you get access to inner crowded city streets and even areas with strict emissions control, as is the case with many cities in Europe. You won't get breakneck speed or outstanding performance, but you don't need either to deliver packages to customers.
Photo: Bako Motors
The B1 is 346 cm (136 in) long, 176 cm (69 in) wide, and 185 cm (73 in) high and will have an interior volume in the cargo box of 2,433 liters (86 cu-ft).
The driver's cabin can be specced with doors or left open in territories where weather permits, and the rear hatch can also be specced as a full door or as a half-opening one. The cabin holds two people in a side-by-side configuration, and the dash is the very definition of "basic," though not necessarily with a negative connotation.
With the B1, Bako Motors takes the same approach as other mobility startups: the vehicle comes as a basic but ready-to-go EV, with features you'd consider standard in a four-wheel non-electric car offered as optionals. In this case, that means air conditioning, an entertainment system, GPS, and a reverse camera.
Photo: Bako Motors
If you're thinking the B1 resembles a tuk-tuk, which still happens to be a very popular option in Bako Motor's home country, you're not wrong. The difference is that this one is electric and comes with the enclosed rear that also features solar panels. The other, more important difference is that it would classify as an L2 three-wheeler in the EU, which means it wouldn't require a special driver's license, which would make things easier for fleet owners.
A Bako B1 starts at 12,000 DT H.T, which is approximately US$3,837 at the current exchange rate. We've reached out to Bako Motors to see whether deliveries have already started or maybe get a clearer timeline than what you can make out right now from the official website (which isn't much). We'll update the story when and if we hear back.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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