New electric car maker Ora has announced its first entrant to the UK market will cost £30,495 and come with an intriguing name: Funky Cat. The electric family hatchback will arrive in the UK this autumn, although Ora will launch a “queue jump” scheme for customers this summer.

Beneath the cutesy design, the new electric vehicle (EV) will come with a 48 kWh battery that Ora claims will allow it to cover 193 miles on a single charge. The company says the battery was chosen for the Funky Cat First Edition as a “best of both worlds” system that offers customers “good range at an accessible price point”.

To refill that battery, customers can use a domestic ‘wallbox’ charging point to charge at 6.6 kW, which takes 5-6 hours to get from 15 to 80 percent battery level, or they can use a three-phase on-street charger to achieve 11 kW, shortening the 15-to-80-percent charge time to 3-4 hours. When out and about, the Funky Cat will charge at up to 80 kW using its CCS socket and a DC rapid charger. That means getting from 15-80 percent of a charge takes around 40 minutes.

Ora Funky Cat in the UK

Ora has confirmed other trim levels will come to the UK in due course, suggesting cheaper models will arrive in the not-too-distant future. Given Ora’s description of the 48 kWh battery, there’s speculation a long-range version could also be planned.

For now, the £30,495 starting price (which includes the government’s Plug-In Car Grant) gets you the high-end First Edition with its 18-inch alloy wheels and reversing camera. It will also come with LED headlights, adaptive cruise control and a 360-degree ‘top-down’ manoeuvring camera, as well as wireless smartphone charging and electrically adjustable heated seats. The Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone pairing technology will also be included as standard.

The Chinese-made Funky Cat will also come with a five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty and an eight-year/100,000-mile battery warranty. The Funky Cat will need to be serviced every two years or 18,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Customers will also get a choice of four different colour schemes, which Ora claims were “informed” by a “community poll” earlier this year. As standard, the car comes with Nebula Green paint and a black interior, but customers can also choose Starry Black paint. Or customers can opt for Mars Red or Aurora Green paint, although both those options will come with a black or white contrast roof and a grey interior colour scheme.

“We are really excited to launch the Ora Funky Cat into the UK market,” said Ora UK’s sales and marketing director, Toby Marshall. “This exciting new EV will set the precedent for the brand, offering customers a premium, technology led experience with a completely unique look and feel.”

Gallery: Ora Funky Cat in the UK