We're Making an Open Source American Kei Truck [video]
The video announces an open-source project to build an American version of a kei truck—a small, lightweight Japanese pickup truck. The creators detail their plans to design and share the vehicle's blueprints and build process publicly.
Background
- Kei trucks are Japanese mini-trucks (660cc engines, under 11 ft long) built for narrow streets and light work. They're popular in the U.S. for off-road and farm use, but imported models aren't street-legal on American roads due to safety/emissions rules, and no U.S. automaker builds anything equivalent.
- This is an open-source hardware project to design a modern American Kei truck from scratch — CAD files, wiring diagrams, and instructions will be freely published for anyone to build or modify.
- Open-source hardware is common for 3D printers and electronics (RepRap, Arduino) but rare for road vehicles; this challenges automakers' closed, proprietary model.
- Why it matters: it could offer a legal, street-legal small truck option in the U.S., where buyers currently pay $15k–$30k+ for imported used Kei trucks that can't be driven on most highways.
- Key challenges: meeting U.S. federal safety standards (FMVSS) and emissions certification — typically costing millions — and coordinating a community-driven design to that level.