Very small cars - the future of EV??

BOWFER

daveyjp said:

That photo is flipped.  Look at the globe on the box!

Well spotted.
They deliberately use numberplates that still look Ok when flipped for this very reason.

Ditzy_Mitzy

Does anyone remember the G-Wiz?  It was an earlier electric quadricycle, made in India to a fairly low standard.  Quite a few were sold, but when was the last time you saw one?  
People bought them for use as proper cars, without realising that a quadricycle is not suitable for such use.  The biggest problem is crash safety; often this is non-existent as there are no safety standards for such vehicles.  There was at least one fatality, as I recall, which put people off somewhat.  
The other problem is that quadricycles, owing to their light weight, aren't built to the same standards as passenger cars.  They don't last as long, so are poor investments.  
The Ami is likely to suffer the same fate.  Most people buying them will attempt to use them as real cars and won't be able to do so.  The point to remember is that these 'very small cars' aren't really cars at all.  

BOWFER

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

Does anyone remember the G-Wiz?  It was an earlier electric quadricycle, made in India to a fairly low standard.  Quite a few were sold, but when was the last time you saw one?  
People bought them for use as proper cars, without realising that a quadricycle is not suitable for such use.  The biggest problem is crash safety; often this is non-existent as there are no safety standards for such vehicles.  There was at least one fatality, as I recall, which put people off somewhat.  
The other problem is that quadricycles, owing to their light weight, aren't built to the same standards as passenger cars.  They don't last as long, so are poor investments.  
The Ami is likely to suffer the same fate.  Most people buying them will attempt to use them as real cars and won't be able to do so.  The point to remember is that these 'very small cars' aren't really cars at all.  

Funnily enough, I saw a G-Wiz just 2 weeks ago, driving through Camden.
TBH I don't think crash safety was in any way responsible for their lack of sales, they were just ahead of their time and the odd looks/size didn't appeal to people then.
Different story now.

Jenni_D

I saw a G-Wiz on Dave a few weeks ago. (Well, it was another repeat of that Top Gear episode) 😉😁

Ditzy_Mitzy

Jenni_D said:

I saw a G-Wiz on Dave a few weeks ago. (Well, it was another repeat of that Top Gear episode) 😉😁

There's one for sale on eBay at the moment

Reva G-Wiz | eBay

Enlarging the photos reveals the general low quality of the thing.  

Ectophile

I'm keeping an eye on the Microlino.  A modern take on the old Isetta bubble car.  It will have a much longer range than the Ami, and an higher top speed.  And it looks more cool.

Grumpy_chap

There is someone near us with a G-Wiz.  They still have it on their driveway.

I think the top speed was around 50 mph, which makes it a bit more credible.  At 28 mph top speed and £6k price tag, the Ami would seem to be stuck too expensive to compete with a moped and too compromised to be the "shopping / school run / extra" car.

BOWFER

Grumpy_chap said:

There is someone near us with a G-Wiz.  They still have it on their driveway.

I think the top speed was around 50 mph, which makes it a bit more credible.  At 28 mph top speed and £6k price tag, the Ami would seem to be stuck too expensive to compete with a moped and too compromised to be the "shopping / school run / extra" car.

here's a scenario under which I'd buy one in a shot.

1. Make it available to 15 year olds.
2. Make the top speed 35mph so at least they can hold their own in 30mph zones.
3. Give them insurance curfews based on time (say 10PM) and distance from home (say maximum 10 miles)

Can't see it happening, we're just too old-fashioned in the UK.

NBLondon

BOWFER said:

here's a scenario under which I'd buy one in a shot.

1. Make it available to 15 year olds.
2. Make the top speed 35mph so at least they can hold their own in 30mph zones.
3. Give them insurance curfews based on time (say 10PM) and distance from home (say maximum 10 miles)

Can't see it happening, we're just too old-fashioned in the UK.

I thought you were older than that...

Are you thinking as an option for teenage offspring to get to school/college? If you can charge at home - or there are lots of chargers at college - then it might work.  Cuts down on the schoolrun full of SUVs as well.    How about those who have an evening job though...  Then we just need the all-electric autonomous pizza delivery robots to be ready.

knightstyle

ontheroad1970  just read your comment a page back. Yes the Smartfor2 is good in a crash. We have had one for many years as a second, town car. current one was bought new by our son for business use, easy to park and room for stuff in the boot, we have had two bales of straw in there in the past.
Remember this...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnI-LiKCtuE&ab_channel=FifthGear