Russia starts EV sales with ‘cheaper than Chinese cars’ Atom

The development of the Russian EV commenced in 2021, the news agency noted in its report, with the establishment of the company behind it in August of that year.

Atoms first functional prototype was presented in Moscow in May of 2023, almost three years before the launch of its sales planned for this spring. On Friday, Kiyashko also revealed that the electric car had made a test run between the capital city and Kazan, mostly in autonomous mode:

“We had a test drive from Moscow to Kazan, and Atom completed 95% of the journey autonomously, meaning with the help of its driving assistants.”

The main city of the Russian Republic of Tatarstan is the hometown of the Kama startup, where Atom is being developed and assembled.

Atoms commercial premiere and successful trial followed in mid-January, when Russian President Vladimir Putin urged faster development of autonomous transportation.

Russia is lagging behind leaders in this niche, the head of state admitted, despite stating he was impressed by some of the driverless prototypes demonstrated ahead of a meeting on the matter.

The Russian Federation should rapidly transition from testing to large-scale introduction of autonomous systems, the master of the Kremlin insisted in his address to participants in the discussion. Russia has until now made fewer than 100 self-driving trucks but intends to bump output to almost 1,000 units by the end of 2028, as reported by Cryptopolitan.

Putin made it clear he is convinced his nation will find its place in the global market for this type of vehicle, once it scales up production and exports.

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