Hyperdrive
Squat Electric for Teens Shakes Up Battle for Paris’s Streets
- BMW, Renault and PSA are fighting for customers without cars
- Paris wants alternatives after collapse of city-backed Autolib
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The newest electric vehicle jostling for space on Paris’s majestic Champs-Elysees has just enough room for two passengers, sports a top speed of a mere 45 kilometers per hour (28 mph) and can be legally driven by a 14-year-old.
When it is deployed this month, the quirky Citroen Ami will become the latest ploy in an intensifying battle among four of Europe’s biggest automakers for dominance in the French capital. The prize isn’t sales but car-sharing fees of just cents a minute.