KG Motors from Japan bets big on a tiny EV

Urban focus, one seat, and no emissions from a battery driveline are the main features of the Mibot from KG Motors. This Japanese start-up wants to reinvent electric mobility by lifting the kei car into a new era. The dimensions are so small that the vehicle fits into a panel van.

Japan must cope with dense cities, aging demographics, and changing mobility. Though relatively slow on electric vehicle adoption, KG Motors believes it has found the right answer: one that’s smaller, simpler, and smarter. Enter the Mibot, a one-seat electric minicar. According to its creators, it’s more a robot than a car.

Unusual roots

But first, here are a few notes about the company. Hiroshima-based KG Motors is a start-up with unusual roots. Co-founder Kazunari Kusunoki launched a YouTube channel called Kussun Garage in 2018, chronicling his passion for compact vehicles and electric tech.

That ‘influencer’ channel evolved into a company that is now preparing for low-volume production of its debut EV, which will be released in late 2025. 

The Mibot is small, even by Japanese standards. At 2.5 meters long, 1.1 meters wide, and under 1.5 meters tall, it’s smaller than Japan’s already tiny kei cars.

Yet it offers a fully enclosed cabin, air conditioning, a central eight-inch touchscreen, and online connectivity for over-the-air software updates.

Its design is inspired by a Polaroid camera from the 1980s. Like Renault and other brands, KG Motors understands that nostalgia is the sugar that makes the medicine of modern mobility go down. 

Over-engineered kei cars

Technically, the Mibot is modest but functional. A 7.68 kWh battery delivers 100 kilometers of range on a five-hour charge using a 100-V household outlet.

It reaches a top speed of 60 km/hour and carries a maximum load of 45 kilograms. While it lacks advanced driver-assistance features, KG Motors plans to integrate autonomous tech in future versions.

The case of the Mibot is made stronger by official communication from Japanese government statistics, which shows that 70% of car trips are under ten kilometers and involve just one occupant. Kusunoki argues that even kei cars are over-engineered for such use cases. 

The target demographic includes Japan’s growing elderly population—those who might be underserved by traditional mobility scooters but overwhelmed by standard vehicles. As such, KG Motors believes it has carved out a new micro-mobility category.

Driver license needed

Initial production will begin in September 2025 with 300 units, ramping to 3,000 by April 2027. The company has already raised over $3.3 million in funding and assembled a full-fledged team. With Japan’s legacy automakers still hesitant to fully commit to small EVs, start-ups like KG Motors may help fill the gap.

The Mibot joins a broader trend of minimalist EVs like the Citroën Ami and Luvly. However, unlike those European light quadricycles, the Mibot requires a full driver’s license due to Japanese legislation.