The electric vehicle (EV) market continues to be highly competitive. While most EV manufacturing companies strive to create EVs with bigger batteries and longer driving ranges, one new company called Amble has been working on another type of EV innovation that no other company has been working on.
Amble, a Portuguese startup launched in 2026, recently introduced its first EV vehicle to the public, a street-legal electric buggy called the “Amble One.” It is designed specifically for short-range travel in a variety of on-road and off-road environments. Rather than competing directly with traditional on-road EVs, Amble has created an entirely new category of EVs focused on adventure, simplicity, and freedom.
Think of the Amble One as an EV built to go in places where normal cars do not belong, such as villages, neighborhoods, resorts, and dusty roads without any pavement or smooth surfaces. Anyone who loves nature and wishes to explore it while protecting their natural environment will find comfort in using the Amble One.
Many prominent hospitality destinations throughout the world have already expressed interest in obtaining Amble One EVs for their guests, including Mustique Island in the Caribbean, Amangiri in Canyon Point, Na Praia in Comporta, and Six Senses Les Bordes in the Loire Valley. All 2027 delivery slots have been filled up for the vehicle. Now there is a waiting list for 2028.
“The best hospitality properties obsess over every guest’s touchpoint,” said José António Uva, the entrepreneur and founder of Amble. “Amble was built with the same thinking: a vehicle where the journey is part of the experience.”
The Amble One Embraces Openness and Exploration
Ordinary cars are designed for high speed, fuel efficiency, and long-distance travel. However, since most people travel short distances every day throughout their own towns and cities, the fuel and maintenance costs for those vehicles can get quite expensive. Amble One was designed specifically for short-range mobility without these higher costs.
The Amble One has an open and minimal design centered around the idea of traveling through a beautiful place. After all, the name “amble” means moving at a relaxed pace without urgency so that you can focus on everything around you. This concept serves as the foundation for both the Amble brand and its first vehicle, Amble One.
“Amble One is built to embody that idea in its open, simple design, with no unnecessary separation between interior and exterior, people and place,” said Julian Hoenig, co-founder of Amble. “No doors to close you in, no unnecessary screens to pull you away. It is about the people on board and how they enjoy the world around them.”
Amble One is not just built for off-road travel. As a street-legal electric vehicle, people are allowed to operate the Amble One in neighborhood streets, coastal roads, and rural country roads. Amble is already planning designs for future versions of their EVs for new use cases, markets, and environments.
The Amble One is made from a combination of durable materials, including cork, cotton, aluminum, and leather. Not only is it designed for beauty, but it is also designed with longevity in mind. “We believe that when you slow down, the world opens up, and your relationship to everything around you changes,” said Michael Tropper, co-founder of Amble. “We designed Amble One holistically, shaping the details, textures, materials, and even the sounds.”
The start price of an Amble One is $25,000. The first deliveries of these vehicles are planned for 2028. Only customers in the United States and Europe may order them.
Meet the Founders of Amble
Founding team, from left, José António Uva, Julian Hoenig, Adrien Roose, Michael Tropper
José António Uva founded Amble in Lisbon, Portugal. He is an entrepreneur who spent 14 years restoring a 780-hectare family estate, São Lourenço do Barrocal, in the Alentejo and turned it into one of the most popular rural retreats in Europe. Uva also created Na Praia, a coastal ecological destination in Comporta that will be opening up in 2027.
Julian Hoenig is one of the other co-founders of Amble. He worked as an industrial designer for major company brands like Audi and Apple. During his time at Audi, Hoenig oversaw the designs of the RSQ, Q3, A4, and R8. Then, when he worked for Apple, Hoenig was the lead designer of the company’s Apple Car program, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro designs. He currently holds more than 400 design patents.
Michael Tropper is another co-founder of Amble. His work background started in the advanced design team at Ford. When he left Ford, Tropper co-founded a 120-person independent creative studio with offices in Amsterdam and London. The purpose of the studio was to provide space to creative entrepreneurs and artists to flesh out their companies and visions. Many big brands have worked with the studio, including NIO, InterContinental Hotels Group, Herman Miller, and Arc’teryx.
Adrien Roose is also a fellow entrepreneur who co-founded both Amble and an electric bike company called Cowboy. He is what you would call a serial entrepreneur, who has successfully started and operated many different companies. Cowboy is his most famous company, known for combining award-winning hardware and proprietary software to create a unique mobility brand. Thanks to funding from Index Ventures, Cowboy helped raise the popularity of electric bikes throughout the world.
What to Expect Moving Forward
Amble has the financial backing of numerous investors across many diverse sectors, including hospitality, energy, and mobility. A few of its most notable investors include Pete Phornprapha of Siam Motors, Peter Rive of SolarCity, and Joe Zadeh, formerly of Airbnb. Their financial support will go a long way in expanding Amble’s visionary electric vehicle line to individuals who appreciate experiencing the beauty of their short-range journeys.
Amble has expressed plans to create future EV vehicles suitable for more urban environments. If successful, people might be operating these street-legal EVs on the roads of their urban neighborhoods and city streets. At a time when fuel prices are high and short-range travel is more popular; consumers might appreciate the aesthetics and efficiency associated with the Amble One.
