Small, affordable EVs are here. And, no, we aren’t getting a bunch of EVs from China. Yet.
For nearly 50 years, the Little Tikes Cozy Coupe has been a mainstay in American garages, driveways, and front yards. What started as a simple red and yellow, plastic, foot-powered car, beloved by many in the 18-months- to 5-years-old range, has spawned more luxurious versions with ladybug spots and truck parts, but it’s now also, in a manner of speaking, the least-expensive new electric vehicle in the U.S. starting from $64.99 (MSRP).
Little Tikes added the $32.99 Cozy E-Charging Station to its accessories for the classic Cozy Coupe and its derivatives, according to Car and Driver. The Ohio-based company describes it as a “charging accessory” that brings “modern-day realism to classic Cozy Coupe adventures, letting kids experience the excitement of ‘powering up’ before they zoom off on their next journey.” Features include lights, a “Power-Up Button” to mimic a start button, and sounds that likely aren’t far off from many modern EVs, since they make about as much noise as a foot-powered car.
Ironically, the three AA batteries needed for the lights and sound functions are not included.
Kids’ familiarity with the real-life charging experience explains why Little Tikes is evolving a mainstay product for the 2020s. EVs hardly make up the majority of new cars sold in the U.S., but Experian Automotive estimated more than 4 million of them on the road in 2024 in a recent study. That was double the number from just two years earlier, and the numbers are only expected to grow even if new sales cool off with the current drop in government incentives. Even if you don’t have an EV in your garage, there’s an increasing chance someone on your street will.
The simulated home charging experience with the Cozy E-Charging Station may be a key part of the fun—and an advantage over toy gas pumps. If you already have an EV as a family car and if your child lands in the target 18-months- to 5-years-old demographic, their first experience powering up a real car may have been in your driveway too.
However, the Cozy Coupe hasn’t gone full-EV, which is probably a wise move given how many larger companies are backing off of their original electrification plans and adding hybrids, plug-ins, or abandoning homegrown EVs altogether. Little Tikes still offers two versions of its Gas Pumper should its drivers choose to stick with the dinosaur fuel.
No word on what the price per gallon on that pump is today.
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