This Mini Car Designed For The Military Is Making A Comeback As An EV

EV technology is continuing to progress at breakneck speeds. In the modern world of automotive innovation, brands like Tesla and Fisker initially carved out a niche in which vehicles that no longer required gasoline power could be cool and even useful to commuters. In the years since, EV options have grown by leaps and bounds, with major industry players like Ford, Mercedes-Benz, and Toyota getting behind this revolution in auto manufacturing.

Many EVs that are coming to the market are entirely new cars (or an electrified version of vehicles already existing in the stables of these major manufacturers). However, the Moke is a different kind of brand that has made headway in the EV space.

The Moke is a decidedly miniature vehicle that was built as a British transport vehicle for overland military campaigns, according to Goodwood Road & Racing. It was built in the 1950s as a means to move British soldiers around future European theaters of war, but its chief design element also became perhaps its greatest flaw.

In an effort to make the Moke a light troop mover that would be quickly deployed in the event of future (or further) conflict on the continent, its designers crafted a minimally powered vehicle with comparably miniscule ground clearance. This proved to be a generally unworkable design, and the Moke was scrapped as an agile battlefield cruiser before it ever saw service in the field.

Silodrome notes that the Moke was built with similar internal composition to the Mini brand, and its namesake is derived from a slang term for "mule." The vehicle was crafted to be flung out of planes and rapidly deployed alongside parachuting troops across battlefields below. However, with a ground clearance just over six inches without any people or equipment loaded onto the chassis, the car wasn't particularly capable of accomplishing its primary function.

The Moke, according to Silodrome, has instead found service as a shore leave vehicle on ships in the Royal New Zealand Navy, and may have been used in small part during the Falklands War.

All in all, the Moke was a poorly designed military craft, but it has found life after "retirement," so to speak. It has been built in a variety of international destinations since production in its original Birmingham factory ceased in October 1968 (via Mini Moke Club). The last Mokes were fabricated in 1993, and they have become a sort-of beach cruiser to rival golf carts and others in popular holiday destinations.

The Moke has seen action as a leisure vehicle for years, but Goodwood Road & Racing reports that Moke and EV Technology Group officially partnered together in July 2022 to build a new generation of EV Mokes that will take leisure driving to the next level.

This kind of collaboration is similar to the effort seen with Audi E-Tron batteries being repurposed in Tuk-Tuks that have traditionally used high-emission two-stroke engines. What's more, EV Technology Group has future plans to bring other heritage brands under their aegis in order to build a growing fleet of beloved automotive names that have been given the EV treatment. The company notes that the new EV Mokes will sell for about $35,000 (£29,150 in the UK, where they will be built at Silverstone), making them a luxury item, but not placing them out of the range of budget-conscious weekend drivers. 

The EV Mokes are built on a solid foundation of historical significance, and the manufacturing team hopes to evoke feelings of beach leisure and even the persona of James Bond (who has been seen in or near the classic vehicle in four separate films, according to James Bond Lifestyle).