I wondered what on earth this strange vehicle was when I saw it parked at the beach, so I had to investigate.

It turns out to be a Citroën ‘Ami’, roughly based on a 2019 concept car and introduced in 2020. It is a two-seater, all-electric vehicle which is so small that it can be driven in France by anyone 14 years or older and in the rest of Europe by anyone over 16 years old. And no licence required!!

Surprised the inevitable idiot hasn’t already gotten behind the wheel of one of these things and done something bizarre and/or stupid, leading to the introduction of all sorts of rules and regulations which will spoil it for everyone.

Great for city travel, easy to park, but not a great option for travelling further afield. It has a 5.5kWh battery under the floor that can run for 44 miles/77 km on a single charge – you can simply plug the EV into any standard 220v outlet and wait three hours for the battery to fully recharge. Top speed is only 28 mph/45 kph, but that is plenty in a city. My e-scooter is limited to 25 kph/15 mph, but is plenty fast enough.

As with all these things, the range is very often much less than stated in the blurb. My cheap e-scooter, for example, was listed as 25km range. Well, maybe in the ‘eco mode’ – half power mode – and if you only go downhill. In ‘comfort’ or ‘sport’ mode (sport needed for inclines/hills), then 10 to 15km tops. Great though. Just get an extra battery (very light) and shove it in a bag to double your range. Love it.