Today we shed light on Lupa, a still unknown start-up from Spain that will build electric cars in Uruguay. For the time being, the company has a model range consisting of three models, of which the E26 is the most concrete.
Meet Lupa, a start-up founded in Barcelona in 2020 that wants to market electric models. The company is the brainchild of Carlos Álvarez, an enterprising Spaniard who claims to have been employed by McLaren Automotive as a test driver between 2015 and 2020. Lupa has already announced the arrival of three cars: the E26, the E66 and the E137. Lupa does not have the ambition to become ‘premium’, the company wants to produce purely affordable EVs.
The E66 will be an electric delivery van, intended, among other things, for the transport of packages in the city. This one especially for last mile delivery intended EV will eventually have an electric SUV next to it: the E137. However, Lupa’s first car will be the E26, an electric hatchback that should be available for online reservation from next year after a modest € 100 deposit. Delivery of the E26 is on the calendar for early 2023.
Lupa E26
Lupa E26
The Lupa E26 will be a five-door hatchback that, with its length of 4.07 meters, will be roughly as long as a Ford Fiesta. The wheelbase is a considerable 2.59 meters, the distance between the front and rear axle of the Fiesta is about ten centimeters shorter. In the bottom is a 50 kWh battery pack with which the model should be able to travel about 350 kilometers. A 120 hp electric motor must be good for a top speed of 150 km /. In addition, according to Lupa, the E26 is able to go around semi-autonomously (level 2).
Lupa also indicates that the E26 can be purchased with or without a battery. The batteries have to be changed in roughly an hour, which, according to Lupa, makes it relatively easy to replace old battery packs with a reduced capacity for new ones. Lupa will soon offer a ‘PowerHome’ module, in which your old battery pack will be placed. According to Lupa, this PowerHome module can be used to store energy generated at home via solar panels.
Lupa already dares to release an expected starting price of the E26. A copy without a battery must cost € 9,400, the variant with a battery has a starting price of € 17,000. If Lupa gets things going, the Dacia Spring Electric will have a price-wise comparable competitor in a few years.
Lupa E66
Lupa E66 and E137
The Lupa E66, the electric van, will also receive a 50 kWh battery pack, with the same range of about 350 kilometers. The electric motor produces 140 hp and is also assigned semi-autonomous driving functions.
Lupa E137
It should come as no surprise that Lupa’s third model, the E137 baptized SUV, also has the same battery pack on board. He has to make do with an action radius of 300 kilometers. A 64 kWh battery pack is also available, good for one range of more than 400 kilometers. The introduction of the E137 is not on the calendar until 2024.
Sales expectation
Lupa expects to be able to build a total of 4,000 cars in its first sales year (2023). 2,000 of the E26 and 2,000 of the E66. In 2024, the company expects to double production for both models. The E137 must be sold around 2,000 times in 2024. Lupa expects to be able to build 6,000 units of both the E26 and the E66 by 2025. The production of the E137 should be 4,000 units by 2025.
Lupa does not only target private individuals. The EVs must also be able to find a place in car-sharing programs and taxi services such as Uber. Lupa hopes to be able to attract customers such as Amazon for the E66 mini-van. Lupa says it will open a factory in Uruguay in 2024. It is still unknown where the cars to be sold earlier come from.