Could this tiny EV be the next big thing in urban mobility?

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Could something this small be the next big thing? That’s the idea behind the SARIT, a little made-in-Canada electric three-wheeler meant to tackle urban congestion and parking woes.

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It’s pronounced Sah-REET, and it’s all-caps because it’s an acronym for Safe Affordable Reliable Innovative Transport. It’s the brainchild of Frank Stronach, founder of Magna International, now one of the largest global auto parts suppliers. He started that company in Aurora, Ontario – he sold it a decade ago – but recently built a factory in this town north of Toronto, and that’s where the SARIT will be built.

It may look like a tiny car, but it’s actually an aluminum safety cage and body built around what’s essentially a three-wheeled e-bike. It’s powered by a 96-amph-hour lithium-ion battery that gives it a range of about 100 km. It charges from a 120-volt household-style outlet in about four and a half hours, the idea being that it should be super-simple to plug it in just about anywhere.

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Stronach came up with the idea after being stuck in a traffic jam, surrounded by cars and each with a single occupant. He calls it the Micro-Mobility Revolution, defined as the ability to park four vehicles in a standard-size parking space.

The SARIT can hold two people, with the passenger sitting behind the driver motorcycle-style. There’s a small storage compartment behind the seat, accessible through a trunk-style lid at the back, while an exterior holder can carry shopping baskets or golf bags. The windows slide open and the doors can be removed for warm-weather driving. According to a SARIT rep, the electric motor creates enough heat to keep the cabin more-or-less comfortable in winter. The little vehicle apparently works well in snow, and winter tires will be available for it.

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You twist the handlebar for the throttle, motorcycle-style, and the handbrakes operate disc brakes on all three wheels. There are three forward speed settings plus reverse. Top speed is about 60 km/h, but the maximum will be set in accordance with local laws, because these are low-speed vehicles, not cars. They’re intended to go wherever you can legally ride a bicycle or e-bike. The company is also targeting them for university or business campuses, or in gated communities. There’s a fleet of them currently in a pilot project in Toronto’s York University.

I’m not a motorcycle or scooter rider, so I approached the SARIT a bit concerned for how I’d do in it. I shouldn’t have worried. After being shown the controls, I took off with it set at the lowest speed. I didn’t get halfway down the driveway before I was confident enough to crank it up to the fastest setting.

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The SARIT is a blast. It’s zippy, and its three wheels and the weight of the low-mounted battery and motor keep it stable on turns – in testing, it was tipped by 70 degrees and popped back up on its wheels. As expected, it’s very manoeuvrable in tight quarters, and it’s easier to see around the triangular front end than over a square hood. A rearview camera will be optional, along with a stereo.

Everything’s a prototype right now, and the first one I drove was very noisy inside. The company is working on a fix, and another one was quieter due to a new seat design that better muffled the electric motor mounted under it. I was still intimidated when a couple of large pickup trucks went by me, but whether due to my SARIT’s bright colour or just its oddball novelty, most drivers were very aware of it.

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The price isn’t set in stone yet, but initial Canadian estimates are around $8,500. That puts them well into the high range of the e-bike market, but with the added safety cage and weather protection. A less-expensive version with a 75-km range will be offered too. In addition to sales, the company is looking at leasing and vehicle-sharing options. It also plans to host “SARIT Cafés” where consumers can try one on a test track and then stop for lunch – Stronach also supports organic food, and owns a restaurant in Aurora that exclusively serves it.

Vehicle production is expected to start this summer in the Ontario factory. Stronach plans to expand with U.S. factories, including in Florida, Texas, and California, where he expects the SARIT to be popular. The facilities will be highly automated, with a goal of cost-effective production that avoids the temptation of moving it overseas. A small, low-speed SARIT electric truck is also in the works, with four wheels, two-occupant side-by-side seating, and a pickup bed or cargo box. These are aimed at local package and food delivery, or maintenance or landscaping work.

The SARIT certainly isn’t the first low-speed electric vehicle; many other start-ups have unveiled their versions, although most never went beyond that. Stronach said his will be successful thanks to his thirty-plus years in the auto industry, although he wouldn’t give specifics beyond that. The plan isn’t to replace the automobile, but provide an all-weather option for commuting or trekking to the bus or train station, and then taking up a sliver of parking space. As cities get even denser and traffic gets worse, something like this might well be an answer.