Hasta La Ideas

I’m in the American South, where contractors drive around in enormous, gas-guzzling pickup trucks. However, the mobility solution that Citroën designed for tradespeople in European cities is opposite to that, in every possible way.

Citroën’s My Ami Cargo is an adorable (I’m sure tradespeople love that word), tiny EV designed for one person to transport a small amount of tools and/or packages, and no passengers. Aimed at plumbers, electricians, locksmiths, deliverypersons etc., the space where a passenger seat would normally go is instead occupied by a sort of modular polypropylene box/shelf.

This box’s “design was inspired by function,” the company writes. “A hollowed out shape in the separating partition gives the driver sufficient space to be able to operate the hand brake without obstruction. Its height has been calibrated to remain below the body line and thus preserve 360° visibility to ensure safety.”

“The modular shelf – serving as a cover and able to hold 40 kg in weight – is adapted on the upper side to form a real mobile desk. An A4-format cut-out has been created for placing documents such as delivery forms, an order book or a digital tablet. And a notch has been created at the rear to help hold items placed on this shelf.”

“It is adjustable, and can be raised either towards the driver for better access to the storage area from the outside, or towards the passenger door in order to easily reach the contents of the box directly from the driver’s seat. The shelf is also removable, allowing you to store items that are higher than the height of the zone, and can then be placed easily behind the seat.”

“The flat floor can be adjusted to 2 levels. It can either be raised and locked vertically without obstructing the cargo zone, or can be lowered to a horizontal position flush with the rear floor of the vehicle. This latter position allows the user to carry longer objects with a useful length of 1.20 m. Pins are provided to hold tensioners or straps to secure more fragile items.”

The My Ami Cargo is an adaptation of Citroën’s My Ami (photo below), a two-person EV people mover that can be leased for an absurdly low €19.99 (USD $21) a month, with a €3,700 (USD $3,895) down payment. The Cargo is even cheaper; €24.18 (USD $25) a month, but with just a €2,508 (USD $2,641) down payment.

Both vehicles have a range of 75 km (47 miles) and a top speed of 45 km/h (28 mph).