Are you waiting for the perfect car to come along before making the switch to EVs? Well I’ve got good news for you as British automaker Moke International is finally returning to the U.S. with a fully highway-legal electric golf cart/off-roader/buggy/thing.
For anyone not in the know, the Moke is a cutesy little buggy that first went into production in the 1960s. The car earned a raft of famous fans, including The Beatles, and even earned itself a cameo in countless James Bond movies.
The Moke was last sold in the U.S. way back in 1982, when the company offered a special edition for the States called the Moke Californian. Now, the British company is bringing the Moke Californian back as a highway-legal EV for American buyers.
The Electric Moke Californian is built in the United Kingdom with the same iconic design as the original. Under the hood, it packs in a 44-hp electric motor and a battery pack that’s rated for up to 80 miles on a single charge. According to Moke, it takes roughly four hours to charge the Moke Californian on a type one port.
The Moke Californian also weighs less than 771 kg, which is roughly a quarter that of America’s best-selling car, the Ford F-150. Thanks to that light weight, the Moke Californian comes with a top speed of 80 km/h and will manage zero to 34mph in 4.3 seconds.
But the Moke Californian isn’t about performance, it’s about feeling the summer breeze in your hair! And, because this is the first highway-legal version of the original Mini Moke to be sold in America, that’s something you’ll be able to do on even more adventures.
A run to the shops or down to the beach is doable in your all-electric Moke, as is a short, but undoubtedly terrifying jaunt on the highways. Imagine pulling up alongside a regular SUV or pickup on the roads of America? There, your head would probably be below the mirrors of the other traffic on the road.