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The road to electric is filled with tiny cars

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Re: The road to electric is filled with tiny cars

#71

Post by Faaak »

I have a Renault Twizy. It's a tiny 2-seater car (one behind the other). It's so tiny that the battery is only 6kWh and thus you can only go for about 80km before needing a charge (which lasts 2h30).

But I love it in fact. In my european city it's the best car to go around because you can park anywhere, it costs nothing to operate, and it's so much fun and quiet.

Sadly it didn't take on, but other cars are starting to emerge, like the Citroen AMI, which I would've bought if I didn't already had the Twizy.

Re: The road to electric is filled with tiny cars

#72

Post by brainless »

justapassenger wrote: post #45
redisman wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The basic EV design seems to be orders of magnitude simpler than implementing exploding dinosaur fumes to drive a vehicle.

None of those companies builds their own motors and batteries. They get them as kits, same as you can get ICE engines. It’s simpler to integrate, that’s for sure, but not orders of magnitude.

I am a software engineer and I am not crazy enough to build a minimal ICE vehicle. But after spending decent teenage and college years in battery and small motors, I am actually confident enough to build a 3 people mover, slow and all, but it will go.

There really is an order of magnitude difference in the complexity.

The typical ICE already has electric batteries and motors. But the EV does not have the ICE parts. No dealing with oils either.

Re: The road to electric is filled with tiny cars

#73

Post by renewiltord »

xrd wrote: post #49
brij0102 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Electric assist bikes could serve you well if the distance works out

I've got a cargo electric bike. My route has a few 35 mph roads that wind through rolling hills and no bike lanes. I've tried biking it, but the cars are aggressive. I really want a car for this commute.

CSC's city slicker might do the trick. Or it might not. Needs you to have a motorcycle licence, though.

Re: The road to electric is filled with tiny cars

#74

Post by tonyedgecombe »

ggm wrote: post #58
dboreham wrote: post #20

Clive Sinclair was right.

Did you see any of the tiny cars being low slung torpedoes with a safety flag stick up back? Otherwise, no.. Clive was wrong.

It's interesting how people think Clive was wrong rather than the decision to let two ton vehicles race down the road at excessive speed.

Re: The road to electric is filled with tiny cars

#75

Post by JoeAltmaier »

brainless wrote: post #72
justapassenger wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

None of those companies builds their own motors and batteries. They get them as kits, same as you can get ICE engines. It’s simpler to integrate, that’s for sure, but not orders of magnitude.

I am a software engineer and I am not crazy enough to build a minimal ICE vehicle. But after spending decent teenage and college years in battery and small motors, I am actually confident enough to build a 3 people mover, slow and all, but it will go. There really is an order of magnitude difference in the complexity. The typical ICE already has electric batteries and motors. But the EV does not have the ICE parts. N…

Yet every yokel with a garage, builds an ICE car for fun. Not even college educated. Some disconnect here?

Re: The road to electric is filled with tiny cars

#76

Post by midasuni »

filoleg wrote: post #67
esperent wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And, to be fair, a major part of why the US has bigger cars is that people can afford them. What about European countries with similar median wage to the US but where most people choose small cars? I think big cars in the US is partly a cultural thing, and also partly because roads in the US are bigger. Driving a big car in most Asian cities would be a horrible experience, so I expect smaller cars to be more popula…

> What about European countries with similar median wage to the US but where most people choose small cars? I think big cars in the US is partly a cultural thing, and also partly because roads in the US are bigger While I agree with you overall, I have a small thing that, I feel, you forgot about. While the median wages in European countries are the same, are they taxed at the same rate as their US counterparts? What…

US tax on $50k median wage is about 20%, take home about $40k

U.K. tax on $43k median is about 20%, take home pay $43k, but no health care costs

Average car cost in US 60c/Mile

https://www.bts.gov/content/average-cost-owning-and-operatin...

In the U.K. is 41p/Mile or 58c

https://www.nimblefins.co.uk/average-cost-run-car-uk

Re: The road to electric is filled with tiny cars

#77

Post by fergie »

Love my e-up. Small cars can do so more than you think. My girlfriend and I just used it to drop our kid off in kindergarten and then go skiing. Am currently sitting in a tight supermarket parking space half way up a mountain- very easy in a cheap, small car.

Re: The road to electric is filled with tiny cars

#78

Post by filoleg »

midasuni wrote: post #76
filoleg wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What about European countries with similar median wage to the US but where most people choose small cars? I think big cars in the US is partly a cultural thing, and also partly because roads in the US are bigger While I agree with you overall, I have a small thing that, I feel, you forgot about. While the median wages in European countries are the same, are they taxed at the same rate as their US counterparts? What…

US tax on $50k median wage is about 20%, take home about $40k U.K. tax on $43k median is about 20%, take home pay $43k, but no health care costs Average car cost in US 60c/Mile https://www.bts.gov/content/average-cost-owning-and-operatin... In the U.K. is 41p/Mile or 58c https://www.nimblefins.co.uk/average-cost-run-car-uk

Fair, but you didn't address the part about the cars themselves costing more + the fact that the gasoline is still significantly more expensive per gallon (UK people just seem to drive much less miles per year than those in the US).

In that second link you posted, it lists the starting price of base VW Golf as £38k (around $53k), while in the US the same model costs about $23k. Even if you tack on all the taxes and registration fees and such, you won't get even close to that $53k. After all the taxes and fees, even a midrange Tesla Model 3 (not the base model) costs less than that $53k in the US.

Re: The road to electric is filled with tiny cars

#79

Post by Neil44 »

Faaak wrote: post #71

I have a Renault Twizy. It's a tiny 2-seater car (one behind the other). It's so tiny that the battery is only 6kWh and thus you can only go for about 80km before needing a charge (which lasts 2h30). But I love it in fact. In my european city it's the best car to go around because you can park anywhere, it costs nothing to operate, and it's so much fun and quiet. Sadly it didn't take on, but other cars are starting t…

I drove a Twizzy around Manchester once it was so cool! Like a little go kart. And got loads of positive attention from passers by. Cold though, mine had no doors!
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