Moke EV ready for the road

MOKE International has announced that deliveries of its new all-electric Moke have commenced.

Moke International’s commercial director Robin Kennedy,says UK customers will receive their new vehicles this month via the brand’s official distributor, Hendy Group. The first Moke Electric models will also be delivered to French customers around the same time.

The announcement coincides with the launch of a new major partnership between Moke Electric and the English country house estate, Beaverbrook. 

The Surrey Hills guest house will avail Moke Electric cars to customers wishing to explore the area’s peaceful countryside and secluded lanes – it will be a similar experience to that offered at Casa Moke on the Cote d’Azur in Saint Tropez. 

The French Moke experience builds on the brand’s beach lifestyle past by allowing visitors to Bo-House and Tardieu Immoblilier access to a Moke EV while in residence. 

Moke Electric varaints offer a 80km/h top speed and a range of 120km, which is enough, Mr Kennedy says, for making “at least three trips from Cap-Ferrat to Monaco and back”.

The Moke Electric can be fully charged in about four hours from a household power outlet and is offered in five standard colours: Wave Blue, Sunlight Yellow, Sunset Orange, Scuba Blue and Granite Grey. 

Moke’s new BEV will retail from £29,150 ($A53,730) and customers will be able to further “personalise cars to their tastes and sensibilities later this year”, Mr Kennedy added. 

The 800kg model provides 33kW of power to the rear wheels and is available in right and left-hand drive configurations.

The London-based brand says its battery cells, motors, and inverters are sourced from Tier 1 European suppliers, but does not provide a battery capacity for its new model.

The new Moke is built in the UK under the leadership of ex-Rolls-Royce product lead Isobel Dando and was completely redesigned to improve acceleration and driveability.

Aluminium body panels reduce weight, while improved braking systems, occupant and pedestrian safety features help bring the model up to par with modern rivals. The new BEV is equipped with power steering, regenerative braking and a heated windscreen.

“Moke is all about country roads, beach excursions, the summer breeze in your hair and enjoying the journey, rather than hurrying from A to B,” said Mr Kennedy.

“We’ve taken the original Mini Moke, which was created by Sir Alec Issigonis, and reimagined it for today’s world – and tomorrow’s – as a fully electric vehicle.

“Our team has been working tirelessly for three years to engineer and manufacture a worthy, sustainable successor (to the petrol-powered original) with the latest technologies.

“Made in Britain, the Electric Moke is now ready to inspire and delight a new generation,” he added.

Although the Moke Electric is not yet available in Australia, reservations for the model are now open in the UK and France.

The new Moke EV is 3225mm long, 1660mm wide, and 1546mm high, all of which makes it 14mm shorter, 212mm wider and 146mm taller than BMC’s original.

The last Mini Moke sold in Australia weighed just 620kg (kerb) and was powered by a 1.1-litre petrol engine that produced 37kW/81Nm and drove the vehicle’s front wheels via a four-speed manual gearbox. Its top speed was advertised as 113km/h. 

More than 26,000 examples of the original Mini Moke were built Down Under between 1966 and 1981. The original model sold for around $2600 locally, or the equivalent of $32,100 when adjusted for 2021 prices.