Kewet was the brand name of a battery electric vehicle. Since 2007, it has been manufactured under the name Buddy by ElbilNorge AS in Oslo, Norway. Since its inception in 1991, combined sales of the Kewet and Buddy totaled about 1,500 units through October 2013, mainly in Norway. It is similar to the Citicar of the 1970s.
In 1971, Knud Erik Westergaard started KEW Industries in Hadsund, Denmark. The company produced industrial washing equipment and high pressure cleaners. In 1988 this company was sold, and Westergaard founded Kewet (Knud Erik Westergaard Elektrisk Transport) to produce electric cars. In 1991 the first cars emerged from the production facilities. In 1995 production was moved to Nordhausen in the former East Germany. But this move was unsuccessful. Kewet went bankrupt in 1998. In August 1998 Kewet International was formed. Shortly thereafter, rights to the Kewet vehicle were transferred to the Norwegian company, Kollega Bil A/S, which changed its name to Elbil Norge AS. Currently, Kewet Service provides spare parts and repairs Kewet vehicles in Denmark, while Consys develops various systems for electric vehicles.
Six generations of the Kewet have been produced:
The car seats three, has a range of typically 50 to 80 km (~31 to 50 mi) between charges (150 km/~93 mi with Li-Ion), with a top speed of 80 km/h (~49.7 MPH), and features a 1.6 kW electric heater or an optional paraffin heater. The chassis is made of galvanized steel and the shell is made of GRP. At the present time, it is only being offered for sale in Norway.