Chip Motors, a Miami-based startup, has launched a small, boxy electric vehicle called Chip that blurs the line between a golf cart and a Jeep. The low-speed vehicle (LSV) is capped at 25mph, meaning it can only legally be driven on roads with speed limits of 35mph or below, positioning it as a second car for short trips such as grocery runs or school pick-ups rather than a full replacement vehicle. Its launch adds to a growing wave of small and unconventional EVs in the US, including the Slate Truck and Amble's dune buggy, suggesting American buyers may be warming to smaller vehicles.

Chip runs on in-wheel motors and a 15kWh lithium iron phosphate battery, offering an estimated 100 miles of range, and can recharge overnight on a standard household outlet or in around four hours via a Level 2 charger. It features a roll bar, a floor-mounted battery for protection, and an LED "face" on the front bumper that responds to voice commands, and it can park itself using remote teleoperation, with ambitions to reach full Level 4 autonomy in future. Four- and six-seat versions start at $15,000 and $18,000 respectively, with $250 reservations open now and deliveries expected from 2027; CEO Jameson Detweiler says the vehicle aims to offer the freedom of a scooter without a car's usual hassle.