Japanese startup KG Motors develops ultra-compact mibot EV

Many everyday car journeys in Japan are short and made alone. According to Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, around 70% of local journeys by car cover 10km or less, while nearly 80% of weekday trips have a single occupant. 

In Japan’s regional cities, declining populations, the closure of local shops and reduced public transport have increased reliance on private cars. 

Founded in 2022, Japanese startup KG Motors is developing mibot, an ultra-compact, single-seat EV for everyday short-distance mobility. Classified as a moped-class mini-car, it has a range of 100km (62 miles) and a top speed of 60km/h (37.3mph). 

“It all started because Kure City in Hiroshima Prefecture (the hometown of KG Motors’ president, Mr. Kusunoki) is a place with narrow roads and many steep hills where even kei cars struggle,” says Masayuki Kubo, manager of the Vehicle Development Team in mibot’s Development Department. “We wanted a vehicle that could be used freely there.” 

Designing around a compact package 

“We focused on single-seaters, eliminating unnecessary features and keeping the price as low as possible to make them accessible to everyone,” Kubo continues. “We decided that simply modifying the exterior of parts sourced from overseas wouldn’t meet our standards for quality or flexibility, so we decided to manufacture everything in-house.” 

Indeed, nearly 80% of mibot’s hundreds of parts have been designed by KG Motors itself and aside from a small number of outsourced components and the frame, almost all were designed using Autodesk Fusion. 

It was decided early on in the design process that the exterior would carry a symmetrical form, while using Fusion also aligned with KG Motors’ approach of reducing part numbers and design hours to keep costs down. It is a simple shape, made efficiently.

“Given the need to create such a unique package and the cost considerations, we chose to build it from scratch," says Takashi Okamoto, a designer at KG Motors. "Since the dimensions and intended use were already set, we adopted an attractive design for this new form of mobility while taking into account factors such as the vehicle’s proportions, ease of driving, and ease of getting in and out.” 

A different pace of development 

KG Motors currently has a team of several dozen members. Fusion is used across departments by people including designers, manufacturing staff and manual authors. The team works across the company’s Hiroshima headquarters, its development centre in Hamamatsu and employees’ homes. 

Fusion’s cloud-based collaboration supports the team’s work across these locations, while the software is also used for assembly work and static stress analysis as well as component design. Fusion’s interoperability also makes it easier for the team to collaborate with third party suppliers. 

“If they’re using different software, we import the data into Fusion,” Kubo says. “Since overseas suppliers often handle tasks like mould manufacturing, we create the part geometries in Fusion and send them over. Sharing 3D data speeds up the process, keeps costs down, and ensures a high level of technical expertise.” 

Unlike legacy brands, development at KG Motors does not always follow a sequential process. “Normally, it is divided into stages such as planning, design, engineering, prototyping and production, but here, everything is happening simultaneously,” says Okamoto. “Since everything, including marketing, is truly being carried out in parallel, requirements can change from one day to the next. There’s never a moment when we can just ‘lock things down’.” 

For example, one design change involved raising the angle of the instrument panel by 15 degrees, which required significant modifications. “We’re constantly making updates as we go, keeping an eye on various factors and being flexible,” Kubo says. “This is a pace of development that would be impossible in a typical production line setting. I feel it’s something unique to a startup.” 

Once mibot’s design was complete, the team leveraged Fusion’s rendering tools to create website ready visuals. “Personally, I started using Fusion with its rendering features,” Okamoto says. “Fusion’s rendering produces very realistic results. We use it on the KG Motors website, and I think it’s more than sufficient for internal presentations as well. As long as you set up the HDR background images and lighting, you can achieve quite impressive results.” 

People appreciate mibot’s cuteness and impact at first glance, as well as its price point

Moving into production 

Given the rapid nature of the start-up's design process, mibot has already entered its production and market introduction phase. Pre-orders opened in August 2024 and exceeded 1,000 units within the first month, with cumulative reservations passing 2,200 units. New online reservations are currently suspended, and market development is focused primarily on deployment with companies and organisations. 

KG Motors is working with municipalities and companies on demonstrations and initial deployments while continuing to build its production, quality and service infrastructure. Production is centred on the mibot Core Factory in Hiroshima with plans to increase production gradually in line with progress in parts procurement, manufacturing systems, market development and the establishment of its business foundation. 

From a technical perspective, the vehicle supports the J1772 standard for AC charging at 100V and 200V and can also be charged from a standard 100V household outlet. Air conditioning and heated seats are included, and as a software-defined vehicle the aim is to improve functionality and usability through continued software updates. Connected-car services, including vehicle connectivity and smartphone integration, are also in development, while autonomous driving and mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) remain future opportunities.

“Judging by customer feedback, people appreciate mibot’s cuteness and impact at first glance, as well as its price point,” Okamoto says. “I think our strength lies in the fact that we were able to position it as something with a different value proposition from other vehicles.” 

“Our first goal is to establish a strong presence in Japan and effectively address the challenges faced by regional cities,” Kubo adds. “Once we have established a successful track record here, we plan to expand overseas.”