The S04 is more than twice the price of the Citroën Ami but offers double the range
Citroën Ami rival comes to UK with in-wheel electric motors and batteries that you can remove to charge indoors
Spanish e-mobility company Silence is taking the fight to the Citroën Ami by launching its S04 in the UK, offering a range of 92 miles and batteries that you can remove to charge indoors.
Silence, which is best known for its range of motorcycles, claims the new two-seat four-wheeler provides “low-cost, zero-emissions urban transport” for residents of large cities and short-haul delivery firms.
Starting at £15,995, the S04 is more than twice the price of the Citroën quadricycle but offers double the range – and it’s £5875 less than the most affordable electric car, the Smart EQ Fortwo.
Silence has designed it to be as agile and dynamic as possible to provide a level of driver involvement.
It has one of the smallest turning circles of any vehicle on sale, at 3.5 metres, as well as a low centre of gravity, due to floor-mounted batteries and electric motors housed within the wheels – a first for a road ‘car’.
Power comes from two motors, sending 22bhp to the rear wheels for a 0-30mph time of 7.0secs and a top speed of 52mph.
Both removable 5.6kWh batteries give a claimed range of 92 miles and can be fully charged in around two to three hours from a 240V outlet.
It’s positioned on a removable ‘trolley’ so that it be extracted for charging – a feature shared with only one other quadricycle, the Estrima Birò, which is advertised in the UK from £11,350.
A battery pre-heater activates in colder temperatures to optimise both range and performance.
The driver can choose how much performance is delivered by selecting one of three driving modes: Eco, City and Sport.
The S04 measures 2280mm long, 1290mm wide and 1570mm tall, making it smaller but slightly taller than the Ami while still offering 184 litres more boot space.
Inside, it gets a 7.0in infotainment screen with smartphone mirroring, a multifunction steering wheel, Bluetooth, and air conditioning. The driver can also hook it up to a smartphone app that provides keyless access, tracking and information about range and battery charge.
Deliveries are scheduled to begin later this month, with a transporter of customer orders confirmed to be on its way to the UK.
Silence already sells the S01 scooter, which was rebadged by Seat in 2019 to create the Mó. The car maker is understood to have now sold all of the units it ordered, and the supply deal has come to an end.
