Very small cars - the future of EV??

MovingForwards

I could almost get on board with one of those, if it did a few more miles. Without a charging point at home it would be awkward having to charge it each day on my way back, so I could use it to get to work the next day. It would quickly become tedious doing daily charging.

Weekly I could abandon the car somewhere, go off and do whatever with my time and return when fully charged.

Looks good as a little shopper / work local car though and the Twizy caught my eye when I saw one a few months ago.

Advocado

shinytop said:

Advocado said:

shinytop said:

Advocado said:

k6chris said:

I have fallen in love with the Citroen Ami, a tiny, cheap and low range EV which would suit 90% of my journeys, albeit only about 50% of my mileage. Am I completely misguided or is the segment likely to catch on and grow??

Tiny, cheap, two-seater cars have been around for decades.

They've never really caught-on so don't know why you think they would now.

So have electric cars, heat pumps and wind turbines. Don't you read the news?

I'm not sure I understand your point.  You think they'll catch-on because they're better for the environment?

Is the Ami better for the environment than an iD3/iD4/Tesla etc.?  People primarily buy a car that suits their needs.  Small two seaters that can't take a family and are no good for going at faster speeds/longer journeys will never catch-on.  They'll remain very niche.

I don't know for sure but on the balance of probability, yes.     

Ok, so you're not going to further explain your point.

Tiny two seaters have never caught on, nor will they now.  Most people will choose larger cars, better for longer journeys, families, dogs, luggage, comfort etc.

The same as they have in the past.

Advocado

shinytop said:

Advocado said:

shinytop said:

Advocado said:

k6chris said:

I have fallen in love with the Citroen Ami, a tiny, cheap and low range EV which would suit 90% of my journeys, albeit only about 50% of my mileage. Am I completely misguided or is the segment likely to catch on and grow??

Tiny, cheap, two-seater cars have been around for decades.

They've never really caught-on so don't know why you think they would now.

So have electric cars, heat pumps and wind turbines. Don't you read the news?

I'm not sure I understand your point.  You think they'll catch-on because they're better for the environment?

Is the Ami better for the environment than an iD3/iD4/Tesla etc.?  People primarily buy a car that suits their needs.  Small two seaters that can't take a family and are no good for going at faster speeds/longer journeys will never catch-on.  They'll remain very niche.

I don't know for sure but on the balance of probability, yes.     

Ok, so you're not going to further explain your point.

Tiny two seaters have never caught on, nor will they now.  Most people will choose larger cars, better for longer journeys, families, dogs, luggage, comfort etc.

The same as they have in the past.

daveyjp

This has been built as the next generation of French 'voitures sans permis' for French teenagers to drive.

It will be as successful in the UK as 50cc mopeds.

Bradden

I do hope smaller EV cars catch on. It seems all we have done is switch from Petrol to Electric but it needs a change in our thinking if we are really going to limit damage done to the planet. I'm not optimistic we will though looking at the electric Hummer etc.

Advocado

Bradden said:

I do hope smaller EV cars catch on. It seems all we have done is switch from Petrol to Electric but it needs a change in our thinking if we are really going to limit damage done to the planet. I'm not optimistic we will though looking at the electric Hummer etc.

Why?  Larger EVs might be slightly less efficient, but if the electricity is generated from a clean, renewable source, what's the problem?

How is choosing a smaller EV "really going to limit the damage" we're doing to the planet?  Producing and shipping them still requires massive resources and releases masses of CO2.

If you really want to do something for the planet, stop driving altogether.  Stop buying imported goods.  Stop going on holiday.  Don't have pets.  Don't have children.

Choosing a Corsa E over an iD4 isn't exactly going to change the world.

Grumpy_chap

Advocado said:

Is the Ami better for the environment than an iD3/iD4/Tesla etc.? 

If an Ami can be used instead of a Tesla / iD4 or other larger car, then the embedded carbon plus the operating carbon would both be lower and the win is secure.

If an Ami is in addition to a Tesla / iD4 then the extra embedded carbon has to be set against the reduction in operating carbon.  Far less likely to be a win.

motorguy

I think this is a great addition to peoples options.

There is no one size fits all answer for everyones needs.  These will work for a percentage of people.  We need a better short term car hire (even peer to peer) system in and around our cities in the UK.  These (or using only public transport) for most of your journies and then hiring a car for the exeptions could well be the way forward for many.

BOWFER

I like the Ami with some provisos.

1. I think 28mph max speed is silly, I think it should be 35mph (same as mopeds).
2. I think 15 year olds should be allowed to drive it.

Herzlos

Grumpy_chap said:

Advocado said:

Is the Ami better for the environment than an iD3/iD4/Tesla etc.? 

If an Ami can be used instead of a Tesla / iD4 or other larger car, then the embedded carbon plus the operating carbon would both be lower and the win is secure.

If an Ami is in addition to a Tesla / iD4 then the extra embedded carbon has to be set against the reduction in operating carbon.  Far less likely to be a win.

Even if it's used in addition to a Tesla, it's potentially better for the environment assuming it gets more range per kwh.
It depends if it's replacing an ICE supermini.

I'm pretty tempted; we're looking at getting a huge EV for the family stuff with a petrol supermini when it's just me or parking is tight. I could easily replace that supermini with a tiny EV and it'd be fine.

On it's own? It's no use to me because I need more space most of the time.