The spiritual successor to the Renault Twizy Cargo has returned in the shape of the Mobilize Bento – a quadricycle van with a 649-litre cargo box body.
The fully electric Mobilize Bento is joined by the Mobilize Duo two-seat passenger model and will square up against the Citroen Ami Cargo and its passenger versions in the sub-£10k category of cars and vans that aren’t actually cars or vans.
They are in fact both quadricycles.
Like the Renault Twizy Cargo before it, the Bento replaces the rear passenger seat with some sensible storage.
However, rather than simply replacing the rear seat, the Mobilize van is even more practical with a dedicated and well proportioned loadspace, which Mobilize says is the equivalent to two car boots.
Like the Twizy Cargo was, it is also an L7e quadricycle, meaning it will be capable of 50mph - almost double the 28mph top speed of the Ami Cargo.
The Duo, passenger model will be available in two versions and homologated to either the L6e or the L7e quadricycle regulations.
The L6e versions can be driven in Europe without a full driving licence, and in the UK with an AM moped licence, but are limited to 28mph, like the Ami.
The L7e vans get a much higher maximum speed of up to 50mph, but will also have a significant power boost as well. L6e quadricycles must have less than 8bhp, but L7e quadricycles can have up to 21bhp.
Mobilize has yet to confirm the power output of the Duo or Bento in either L6e or L7e formats, however, they have given details on its range.
The Bento van gets a 10.3kWh (usable) NMC battery, which is the equivalent of a single module from the battery pack of the Renault 5 E-Tech electric car.
That means a range of 149km (93 miles) for the Bento, while the Duo gets a slightly improved range of up to 161km (100 miles) based on the WMTC standard for quadricycle homologation.
Mobilize says this will give drivers a range in excess of 100km (62 miles) during winter.
Charging is carried out using a standard domestic plug or with the option of a Type 2 plug compatible with most standard charging points.
There are no official charging speeds, but Mobilize says the Duo will "recover 25 km of range from a simple domestic socket in just one hour, the time to have lunch" - how very French.
Charging from 20% to 80% is said to take 3 hours 50 minutes using a domestic socket and 3 hours 25 minutes with a Type 2 socket.
Designed to access all areas of the city, the Bento is not a big vehicle, measuring just 2.54m in length, but the box body of the Bento's cargo area does pose an interesting opportunity for businesses to advertise themselves with a snazzy livery on what is sure to be a very attention grabbing city van - not least because of the elytra doors that open vertically to minimise space and prevent less of a hazard to other road users like cyclists.
Another interesting feature is the unpainted bodywork that instead gets a two-tone effect in black plastic.
The unpainted bumpers and rocker panels are said to feature a camouflage grain finish to disguise the bumps and dings a small van might get during its working life.
For the safety conscious, the Bento has one major upgrade, compared to the Ami Cargo, with Mobilize opting to specify an airbag as standard, despite quadricycle regulations not requiring one.
The Bento and Duo are set to be officially unveiled at the Paris motor show, with production vehicles arriving next year.
UK pricing has not yet been revealed, but expect it to at least match the Euro pricing which sees the Bento van priced at €10,000 excluding taxes.
Mobilize Bento 80 | |
---|---|
Driving licence | A1/B1 licence |
Keyless entry | s |
Driver airbag | s |
Orange dashboard | o |
Bluetooth kit | o |
USB-C connector | s |
Phone holder | s |
Heated driver’s seat | o |
Heated windscreen | s |
Comfort seats with premium upholstery | o |
Air conditioning | o |
Rear parking sensors | o |
Mode 3, type 2 socket | o |
“Iconic Orange" colour pack | o |
Colour pack (other colours) | o |
Prices from (France) | €10,000, excl. VAT |