Buddy (electric car)

Buddy is a Norwegian city electric car, produced by Buddy Electric, formerly known as Pure Mobility and Elbil Norge AS, at Økern in Oslo. In 2007, the Buddy, and its predecessor, the Kewet, made up 20% of the electric cars in Norway. Since its inception in 1991, combined sales of the Kewet and Buddy totaled about 1,500 units through October 2013, of which, 1,087 were registered in Norway.

Buddy is the sixth generation of the Kewet electric vehicle. Originally, the Kewet was developed in Hadsund, Denmark, and the first model was made in 1991. Production alternated between Hadsund, Denmark and Nordhausen, Germany. During the first five generations, over 1000 electric vehicles were produced. The vehicle was sold in eighteen countries. In 1998, all rights were acquired by ElBil Norge AS (which, at the time, was called Kollega Bil AS). For some years, ElBil Norge further developed the electric vehicle and in the autumn of 2005, a new model was presented that was first called Kewet Buddy Citi-Jet 6, but is now known simply as the Buddy.

In December 2008, the first 12 Buddy cars were sent from the Buddy factory in Økern by boat to Copenhagen. In 2010, Pure Mobility (former "Elbil Norge") launched a brand new version of the Buddy. It was initially marketed as "MetroBuddy", but the "Metro" prefix was removed due to certain negative or confusing associations with the term.

Buddy is a simple, functional, electric city car with a range of 20 to 60 km (12 to 37 mi) depending on the season, topography and driving style. Maximum speed is 80 km/h (50 mph). Its length is 244 cm (96 in), which allows it in some jurisdictions to be legally parked sideways.

The Buddy consists of a strong, hot galvanized steel tube frame, complete with safety cage, but with no proper deformation zones. The body is made of thin fiberglass. Other metal parts are treated so that further rust treatment is unnecessary. The electric motor is a 72V Sepex 13kW, a direct current motor with brushes. Well-tried technological solutions have been used to ensure maximal reliability. The car has no servo or aids regarding steering and braking. The response and "connection" to brakes and front wheels are vague and difficult to finesse. The vehicle also lacks safety equipment such as ABS, ESP, Airbags, etc.

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