Day: November 2, 2020

It may not have a very exciting name, but that doesn’t matter when the (potential) product is so darn cool. Meet the Electric Brands eBussy, which uses a modular design to (potentially) offer a whole range of passenger- and cargo-carrying configurations.

We’re partial to the Camper and Cabrio shells, but Electric Brands envisions everything from a basic platform (which ought to be fairly customizable for upfitters) to two- and four-door pickup trucks and everything in between. The concept reminds us of another impossibly cute series of products that all started with the Volkswagen Beetle. The German automaker used one basic chassis design that we colloquially call the “pan,” altering it as necessary to offer a range of coupes, sedans, vans and trucks.

In addition to street-oriented options, Electric Brands also intends to offer a variant it calls Offroad with a lifted suspension and all-terrain tires. Each of the optional shells can sit atop the off-road chassis, and since the entire platform boasts permanent all-wheel drive and four-wheel steering, venturing off the beaten path ought to be a legitimate possibility. Every version would also feature integrated solar modules and regenerative braking.

With a chassis that reportedly measures just shy of 12 feet in length, the eBussy platform would theoretically offer battery packs ranging from 10 kWh to 30 kWh. Due to the lightweight 1,000-ish pound weight of the base vehicle, that’s enough to provide between 124 and 373 miles. Naturally, we expect that range estimate could change drastically depending on the vehicle’s configuration and load, plus European estimates are notoriously more range favorable than those quoted in the United States.

We’re not sure what kind of performance the eBussy platform would offer, but the specifications gear more toward carrying loads than hitting the drag strip. Quoted horsepower stands at a low 20, but we’re not sure if that’s the total number of ponies or if that’s per wheel. The company’s claim of 737 pound-feet of torque is surely delivered where the rubber meets the road, not by the motor(s).

Electric Brands is currently accepting reservations for all eBussy styles with prices starting around $18,400 (15,800 euros) and rising from there. As of this writing, the company’s website reports 4,080 current reservations and the most popular style has been the camper van (via Motor1). We don’t know of any current plans to import these ridiculously cool little electric machines to the States, but here’s hoping. Deliveries are slated to begin at some point in 2021.

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