Chip Motors Bets on 'Light' in Bid to Disrupt Golf Cart Market
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The Miami startup's $15,000 'life utility vehicle' tops out at 25 mph and uses remote operators to park itself, with deliveries slated for 2027.
Amid a growing wave of small-car launches, Miami-based startup Chip Motors is entering the market with a boxy, low-speed electric vehicle it calls a "life utility vehicle," or LUV. As The Verge reported, the Chip EV tops out at 25 mph, restricting it to roads with speed limits of 35 mph or below, and is pitched as a second vehicle for short trips like grocery runs or kid pickups.
The vehicle runs on in-wheel motors and a 15 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery that the company estimates will deliver roughly 100 miles of range, though that figure remains pending final specs. It can recharge overnight on a standard 110-volt household outlet or in about four hours on a Level 2/240-volt charger through a NACS charge port, though the company cautions that these timeframes are estimates pending final specifications.
Chip Motors is starting with teleoperation for self-parking, with an eventual goal of Level 4 fully autonomous driving, according to The Verge.
CEO Jameson Detweiler, a serial entrepreneur, sold his camera tech company to one of the largest e-scooter operators in Europe in 2022 before fully pivoting to Chip, a project he says he has worked on for nearly 15 years. The idea emerged from conversations he had while living in a San Francisco hacker house about trends shaping cities and transportation. He argues that using large, heavy, expensive vehicles for short local trips is inherently inefficient, and that transportation systems will become more efficient by matching the vehicle to the task.
Detweiler said the pandemic helped golf carts "escape the golf communities," pointing to young families in warm weather markets who have adopted them as second vehicles for short trips. That trend sparked his interest in creating a compelling electric alternative.
The Chip EV comes in four- and six-seat configurations, starting at $15,000 and $18,000, respectively. Customers can reserve one for $250, and the company says deliveries will begin in 2027.