Spanish e-mobility company Silence is taking the fight to the Citroën Ami by launching its S04 in the UK, offering a range of 92 miles and batteries that you can remove to charge indoors.
Silence, which is best known for its range of motorcycles, claims the new two-seat four-wheeler provides “low-cost, zero-emissions urban transport” for residents of large cities and short-haul delivery firms.
Starting at £15,995, the S04 is more than twice the price of the Citroën quadricycle but offers double the range – and it’s £5875 less than the most affordable electric car, the Smart EQ Fortwo.
Silence has designed it to be as agile and dynamic as possible to provide a level of driver involvement.
It has one of the smallest turning circles of any vehicle on sale, at 3.5 metres, as well as a low centre of gravity, due to floor-mounted batteries and electric motors housed within the wheels – a first for a road ‘car’.
Power comes from two motors, sending 22bhp to the rear wheels for a 0-30mph time of 7.0secs and a top speed of 52mph.
Both removable 5.6kWh batteries give a claimed range of 92 miles and can be fully charged in around two to three hours from a 240V outlet.
It’s positioned on a removable ‘trolley’ so that it be extracted for charging – a feature shared with only one other quadricycle, the Estrima Birò, which is advertised in the UK from £11,350.
A battery pre-heater activates in colder temperatures to optimise both range and performance.
The driver can choose how much performance is delivered by selecting one of three driving modes: Eco, City and Sport.
The S04 measures 2280mm long, 1290mm wide and 1570mm tall, making it smaller but slightly taller than the Ami while still offering 184 litres more boot space.
