Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Citroën reportedly bringing AMI EV citycar to the Free2Move on-demand US driving service


Citroën has released its latest version of the AMI sub-compact/citycar that sprang into being based on a recent concept car (see video after the jump). I get emails from carmakers from all over and I recently got one from Citroën regarding the "Cargo" version of the new AMI EV (think AMI minus passenger seat for deliveries, release after jump). In looking around for more info, I found articles on Electrek and Autoweek that stated that Stellantis (Citroën's and Fiat/Chrysler's parent company) was said to bring the French EV citycar to the US for duty in the Free2Move driving service. I went to Free2Move's media site and found a release announcing their US expansion, but nothing specific to the Citroën AMI. (Electrek had the image below and Autoweek had the dash image). While the AMI EV currently gets about 44 miles of range and tops out around 30 mph, those numbers would be acceptable an in urban city environment. Homologation should be quite easy, especially since the vehicle may be licensed as something other than a car and with a sub-$10K price it should also be affordable for specialized uses. So we may see these little cuties pop up around metro areas. This reminds me of the Zoox autonomous taxis currently under testing. I'm sure there will be more to come. Media releases (2), links to the original articles, and brief video after the jump.

Source: Citroën /Free2Move/Electrek/Autoweek- Media release, pics, and video after the "read more" jump.


Media Release1:
MY AMI CARGO: ALL THE CLEVER FEATURES OF AMI WITH A LOADING VOLUME DESIGNED FOR ZERO EMISSION MICRO-MOBILITY OF PROFESSIONALS

  • Citroën continues to innovate for professionals with the launch of My Ami Cargo, a unique and clever electric delivery solution, offering all the benefits of Ami and total useful loading volume of over 400 litres and payload of 140 kg thanks to optimised modular space in place of the passenger seat.
  • This new electric offer is a convenient and modern response to the new mobility concerns of local service companies, delivery services, tradesmen, craftsman, self-employed professionals, local authorities and administrations and even manufacturers.
  • My Ami Cargo combines loading capacity, mobile desk functionality and the benefits of electric mobility, including zero CO2 emission for clean mobility and free access to regulated traffic areas, easy charging in just 3 hours on a standard socket, the peace of mind that goes with electric driving and controlled costs of use. For €400 more than the Ami Ami version, it offers greater protection against collisions and inclement weather, and improved loading capacity compared with a 2 or 3 wheels vehicle, and it proves to be more agile than a commercial vehicles from a higher segment thanks to its ultra-compact shape and road handling features.
  • For its sales launch slated for early June, the innovative digital experience, developed for Ami through the dedicated online sales site, will be open to My Ami Cargo with the related offers and services accessible to all professionals.

The Ami family is expanding with the arrival of the LCV model, My Ami Cargo, an innovative economic solution on the market, fully electric, ultra-compact and designed to meet the new needs of professionals, from delivery of small packages over short distances in an urban setting, to travel between sites.

“My Ami Cargo offers an ingenious solution to the new challenges of professionals who are expressing a need to carry goods in a vehicle that is clever, functional, electric and economical. It features a convenient and modular cargo volume, while offering an electric mobility solution that is agile, safe and unique. It’s a vehicle that provides a concrete solution for last-mile delivery, particularly of small packages, the volume of which has increased exponentially in recent months. My Ami Cargo represents a true business potential, as the first promising contacts made with a variety of commercial partners have confirmed. This offer completes Citroën’s utility vehicle range, and each model now offers an electric version”.

Laurence Hansen, Director of Citroën Strategy and Product

THE SOLUTION ADAPTED FOR NEW USES BY PROFESSIONALS

Restrictions related to urban driving, the need for a zero emission solution, and the very considerable growth in the need for package delivery are all elements that led Citroën to develop My Ami Cargo, a commercial version of the Ami model. It is the ideal solution, electric, easy to handle, practical and economical, offering professionals peace of mind as they organize their work, with a solution that did not exist before now.

In My Ami Cargo, Citroën has created a modular cargo space next to the driver’s seat, to transport packages, mail, tools and items of all kinds in complete safety. My Ami Cargo thus offers functional storage combined with the benefits of an electric vehicle. It offers greater protection than a two- or three-wheel vehicle and proves to be more agile than a LCV vehicle from a higher segment, thanks to its ultra-compact shape and its easy handling.

My Ami Cargo is suited for urban delivery services, which have multiplied, in particular with the growth of e-commerce and home food delivery. It’s also a useful solution for many other uses, including local service companies (plumbers, electricians and locksmiths), self-employed professionals such as nurses, or administrations, local authorities and associations. My Ami Cargo is also intended for industrial sites, where certain employees make multiple trips from one structure to another to deliver documents, tools, small equipment, etc., for leisure and tourism infrastructures, such as camp sites, which make a significant number of very short trips daily to inform or assist their customers.

MORE CAPACITY IN A VERY COMPACT SHAPE

The “individuals” version of Ami surprises everyone by its interior space. It’s still one of the essential features of My Ami Cargo, ingeniously “small on the outside and big on the inside”. My Ami Cargo retains the atypical appearance of Ami, which inspires liking at the very first glance. It’s on the inside that things change, with layout of the passenger area into a 260-litre storage space that can accommodate a payload of 140 kg, thanks to replacement of the passenger seat with a modular protected box made up of 7 polypropylene parts:

The vertical separating partition separates the driver area from the cargo area. It is positioned to provide sufficient space and ensure that the user is protected from the cargo, and can enjoy driving comfort, identical to that offered by the standard Ami version. Design was inspired by function. Design has been induced by functionality. 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.
A closed storage box, in the rear area, has been designed to accommodate items that need to be secure, such as a smartphone or sunglasses. A button lets you open the upper portion.

Overall, My Ami Cargo has a useful volume of over 400 litres.

“Inspired by the version designed for individuals, My Ami Cargo retains the idea that guided the design of Ami (can be driven from age 14 up, economical, agile and suited for urban use, with peripheral visibility and electric engine). This is why we created an innovative interior space, allowing us to make an offer that’s unique on the market, while retaining the simplicity and clever design of Ami”. "

Richard Meyer – Stellantis Commercial Vehicles Strategy and New Mobilities Manager

CUSTOMISATION FOR PROFESSIONALS

To convey the image of their company through My Ami Cargo, customers will soon have the option for more detailed exterior customisation on request. Fleets of less than 10 vehicles will have the possibility to put their logo on their My Ami Cargo via our partner either on the Ami selling online website or citroen.fr. And for fleets of more than 10 vehicles, Citroën workshops will be able to work on My Ami Cargo before delivery and can paint the bodywork a chosen colour, affix a logo in the form of a sticker or install a covering to represent the company.

ALL THE BENEFITS OF AMI FOR PROFESSIONALS

Citroën capitalizes on the assets of Ami: electric, economical, easy to handle, compact, agile in the city, rechargeable on a simple 220V socket, embedded charging cable, etc. And beyond the object itself, the entire Ami ecosystem has redesigned the customer experience, fully digital, as well as the unrivalled method of distribution.

MY AMI CARGO INHERITS ALL THE STRENGTHS OF AMI

ELECTRIC: The first feature of My Ami Cargo is that it is electric, and therefore emits no CO2. Professionals therefore have full access to regulated traffic areas in town centres, while enjoying an easy and silent drive thanks to the torque available immediately on start-up. Its 5.5 kWH lithium-ion battery is rechargeable on a simple 220V domestic socket in just 3 hours, as easily as a smartphone. It develops driving range of up to 75 km, perfectly suited to short trips in or near urban centres. Its 6 kW engine gives a maximum speed of 45 km/h.

AGILE: My Ami Cargo features a low footprint, making it compact and agile. Its small size - 2.41 m long, 1.39 m wide and 1.52 m high - along with its surprising turning diameter of 7.20 m, simplify city driving, manoeuvres and parking.

PROTECTIVE: My Ami Cargo offers protection superior to two- or three-wheel vehicles thanks to its steel tubular structure that protects against impacts. Furthermore, it lets you travel even in inclement weather, with its closed, heated passenger compartment. My Ami Cargo’s body-height and driving position are at the same seat-height as other vehicles on the road, giving good visibility. The glazed surfaces (windscreen, side windows, rear window and sun roof as standard) above the body line offer 360° visibility and a bright interior giving a sense of well-being.

CUSTOMISABLE: inspired by the Ami Ami version, My Ami Cargo lets the customer customise their vehicle however they wish. A wide range of accessories is offered: door net, floor mat, storage compartments, smartphone clip, DAT@MI dongle to connect your smartphone, can make My Ami Cargo even more functional. Convenient equipment to hold objects when the passenger door is opened: the load holding net that is positioned vertically on the side of the cargo zone.

These accessories are available at misterauto.com, a practical and fast way to order and have items delivered to your home or directly to the company’s address. The site is also available via My Citroën. In parallel, they can also be ordered by going to the certified Ami Citroën and Eurorepar Car Services networks.

The Ami lifestyle products collection, which includes for example the Bluetooth mobile speaker, will add a hint of originality to the interior of My Ami Cargo with the colourful items available from the Citroën Lifestyle online store: https://lifestyle.citroen.com.

MY AMI CARGO FEATURES THE SAME DIGITAL ECOSYSTEM AS AMI

To adapt to the changes in methods of consumption and support customers in their purchase of Ami, in April 2020 Citroën launched a unique online sales site - store.citroen.fr/ami - a complete ecosystem whose primary goal is to facilitate access and save time. Available 24/7 from a smartphone, a tablet or a computer, professionals can discover, configure, order and pay for My Ami Cargo online, without going anywhere.

A new feature lets you explore My Ami Cargo in all its finest details, a 3D video shows how the cargo box can be adapted and focus points describe its various features in detail.

My Ami Cargo, a new and unconventional mobility offer for professionals, with an unrivalled price/features/protection ratio, will be available for order in the end of May on the store.citroen.fr/ami online store.

A la carte offers - both attractive and adaptable - allow each professional to access mobility according to their needs and budget, from cash purchase starting at €6,490 including taxes (€900 bonus deducted) to a monthly rental as part of a long-term lease agreement starting at €24.18 a month (first payment of €2508.43 €900 bonus deducted for a 48-month long-term lease agreement in France).

This lease payment includes the battery and gives the benefit of low running costs. On the website, a calculator lets you customize the monthly payment by adjusting the lease period (from 24 to 48 months) or the amount of the first payment. In this way customers are free to adjust financing to suit their budget.

Media Release2:
Free2Move announces U.S roll-out of its flexible and all-inclusive car subscription service

Car On Demand service will provide customers ultra-flexible access to a wide-range of vehicles on a monthly basis:
One monthly price all-inclusive of insurance, assistance & maintenance
Flexible contract without commitment on duration
Fully digital experience

Starting in Los Angeles, California, Free2Move plans to open the service in 5 other American States before the end of the year Already present with its carsharing service in Washington D.C (and soon in Portland, Oregon), Free2Move has announced plans to bring its exclusive Car On Demand subscription service to the United States. The service has been deployed in several European countries since 2019 and has been developed by Free2Move to meet the strong demand for flexible car rental solutions. Free2move has built a fully digital solution that allows customers to experience a seamless and flexible car subscription service. Customers can easily onboard, choose their car and order services.

“We’re excited to bring our ultra-flexible subscription and service to the U.S.,” said Brigitte Courtehoux, Free2Move Brand CEO, “This market is among the most competitive and open to new mobility and vehicle access models, and we’re confident Car On Demand will further broaden consumer interest in this option.”

The launch of Car On Demand in Los Angeles, CA is led by the Business Lab of the Stellantis Group, whose mission is to explore, identify, experiment and transform opportunities into new business for the Group. As home to more than six million registered automobiles, Los Angeles was chosen as the initial launch market based on its size and appetite for innovative mobility solutions. With one of the highest penetration rates of luxury vehicle leases, Free2Move research pin-pointed Los Angeles as the logical launch market for Car On Demand.

The service will provide ultimate flexibility and affordability to the consumer. With a month-to-month subscription (a 10-day opt out notice is required), the all-inclusive service covers insurance, maintenance, road-side assistance and free delivery within Los Angeles, CA. Starting at $699 per month, Car On Demand will offer a variety of cars ranging from sedans to sport/utility vehicles accessed from a selection of brands including the Stellantis portfolio, such as JEEP, and other OEM’s.


Original article - Electrek


Original Article - Autoweek

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