The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.

A tiny, single-seat electric car is taking Japan by storm. The mibot, built by KG Motors, has pre-sold 3,300 units before it has even hit the streets — more than all of the Toyota EVs sold in 2024.
As Emily Forlini notes in an article in PC Mag, the mini-car is ideal for short trips, with a 62-mile range and 37 mph top speed. “The tiny EV gets over-the-air tech updates, has air conditioning and a small trunk. It charges up in five hours on a standard 100V household outlet; no need for "special charging equipment." At $7,000, the mibot is about half the price of Japan’s most popular EV, the Nissan Sakura.”
The design could become hugely popular in dense cities with narrow streets and low speed limits. According to Forlini, “Japan has been slow to embrace EVs, but it has more hybrids than traditional gas-powered cars on the road.” Although 55 percent of new cars sold in Japan are hybrids, just 2 percent are fully electric. “Perhaps a cheap, small EV can carve out a unique place in the Japanese market.”
FULL STORY: This Tiny $7,000 Electric Car Is More Popular in Japan Than Toyota's EVs

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Planting for Change: How Trees Are Powering Climate Action
"Combating Climate Change with Trees" highlights how Southern California communities are strategically planting and nurturing urban forests to cool neighborhoods, improve air quality, and advance environmental justice.

Could Planners Adopt a 'Place Sherpa' Role?
Building upon the framework of a local housing panel, Chuck Wolfe suggests that advocacy and policy discussions would be enhanced by a “sherpa mindset” that focuses on lived experiences, facilitates applied knowledge of urban places, and promotes stakeholder discussion.

California Advances Its 30x30 Conservation Goals
California is making significant progress toward its 30x30 conservation goals, but looming federal rollbacks and gaps in biodiversity protections could threaten the state’s efforts to protect lands and coastal waters by 2030.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie