Electric car startup Uniti has reached an expected pre-order value of over €50 million for its groundbreaking electric car, Uniti One. Since unveiling its prototype vehicle during last December’s U17 launch event, Uniti has reported significant interest in the 2-seat Uniti One from prospective buyers and fleet purchasers throughout the world.
“This is an important milestone for our new company,” said Robin Eriksson, Uniti CMO. “We conducted a small market test to validate the demand of our vehicle and the response has been very strong. We are now working intensively with our development and production partners to finalise supply potential so we can scale accordingly.”
Global demand for electric vehicles is growing rapidly, with many industry analysts predicting a 10x increase in sales by 2025 and a 30x increase by 2030. While bringing affordable EVs to market profitably at scale remains a challenge in the automotive industry, Uniti is positioning its lightweight vehicle as a solution to this challenge. The Uniti One is designed with strict parameters for energy efficiency, allowing it to offer a targeted 150-300 km single charge range without requiring larger, more cost prohibitive batteries. Beyond range, the Uniti One boasts sporty handling and a user experience more akin to modern smartphones than cars. Executives at Uniti consider their reported pre-order volume as confirmation for this positioning strategy.
“We have a long way to go towards our production model, certification, and the delivery of our first cars, but the commitment the market has already shown for our product and our brand goes a long way to accelerate this process” added Lewis Horne, Uniti CEO.
Uniti will offer the Uniti One initially to buyers in northern European metro areas with first deliveries planned for late 2019. Additional markets for the vehicle will be added progressively shortly thereafter. Uniti’s sales model notably skips the industry-standard dealership network, and instead, engages customers through direct sales on their website or via partnerships with consumer electronics retailers. Servicing will be handled in a lean and agile manner through established retailers throughout Europe. Potential customers can pre-order the vehicle for a fully-refundable fee of 149€ and secure their spot in the queue for the first deliveries on www.uniti.earth.
