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The Citroen Ami – tiny electric car with no boot, 28mph top speed, 46 mile range

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Re: The Citroen Ami – tiny electric car with no boot, 28mph top speed, 46 mile range

#91
post #26

> the £7,695 tiny electric car that has no boot, a 28mph top speed and range of just 46 miles I live in Paris and do everything with an e-bike that also has no boot, no passenger seat, a top speed of ~20mph, a range of ~30 miles... but cost me around €1,200 (since I built it myself). It now has over 7,500 miles. In day trafic it's probably much faster than the Ami, and it can also be put on a train. Couldn't be happi…

It seems people are never thinking what happens if he is getting old. Good luck when you can still ride a bike when you are 70s and in the snow.

If and when I can't ride (which I suspect will be never, since it's an ebike and my parents, whi are both in their nineties, still occasionally ride non-electric bikes), then I will find something else. It's not like the ebike is a huge investment that nails me for life...

Re: The Citroen Ami – tiny electric car with no boot, 28mph top speed, 46 mile range

#92
post #26

> the £7,695 tiny electric car that has no boot, a 28mph top speed and range of just 46 miles I live in Paris and do everything with an e-bike that also has no boot, no passenger seat, a top speed of ~20mph, a range of ~30 miles... but cost me around €1,200 (since I built it myself). It now has over 7,500 miles. In day trafic it's probably much faster than the Ami, and it can also be put on a train. Couldn't be happi…

It seems people are never thinking what happens if he is getting old. Good luck when you can still ride a bike when you are 70s and in the snow.

"It seems people are never thinking what happens if he is getting old"

You really think, that we people who do drive bicycles, do not think about cold and rain? We are the first to notice it first hand. So we do think about it, as we have to regulary deal with it.

The solution is adequate clothing.

But yes, I also own a car as I do not live somewhere with good public transport system. And I do know people who ride a bike in their 70s, but I am aware, that there will likely come a time, when I will be indeed too old for riding in the winter. But chances are, that by then I am also so fragile, that I might be too old for save driving also. Hopefully self driving is ready by then.

Re: The Citroen Ami – tiny electric car with no boot, 28mph top speed, 46 mile range

#93
The solution to urban mobility is less cars, not different cars than we have now.

>She hates every second of the 1.1-mile journey home, shrinking into the seat to shield herself from the constant finger-points the Ami attracts from passers-by.

>She refuses to be seen in it again.

Yikes if that were my MIL I'd refuse to be seen with her too.

The arrogance and dogmatized manifestation of the motorized individual transport in our society knows no limits.

Re: The Citroen Ami – tiny electric car with no boot, 28mph top speed, 46 mile range

#94
post #26

> the £7,695 tiny electric car that has no boot, a 28mph top speed and range of just 46 miles I live in Paris and do everything with an e-bike that also has no boot, no passenger seat, a top speed of ~20mph, a range of ~30 miles... but cost me around €1,200 (since I built it myself). It now has over 7,500 miles. In day trafic it's probably much faster than the Ami, and it can also be put on a train. Couldn't be happi…

It seems people are never thinking what happens if he is getting old. Good luck when you can still ride a bike when you are 70s and in the snow.

You want some 70 year old guy driving a car in your city in the snow? People outlive their ability to drive a car by 5-10 years. If you build a city that welcomes and requires cars, and discourages biking and walking, you are dooming the elderly to spending the ends of their lives at home.

Re: The Citroen Ami – tiny electric car with no boot, 28mph top speed, 46 mile range

#95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> there’s no reason that these limitations are inherent to a vehicle of this size. Of course not, but the manufacturer tried to keep the costs down as much as they could. An Ami with A/C for double the price would be a lot less attractive. Although maybe a reversible heat pump could make the heating kinder on the battery... > I imagine an Ami-sized car with creature comforts of a regular vehicle would sell extremely…

> Although maybe a reversible heat pump could make the heating kinder on the battery... Isn't a normal AC a reversible heat pump?

A normal AC is a heat pump, but lots are not reversible.

Especially in cars, it's a very recent development in some EVs: on an ICE, the ICE provides the heating so a reversible AC is just more complexity for no gain.

Re: The Citroen Ami – tiny electric car with no boot, 28mph top speed, 46 mile range

#96
post #26

> the £7,695 tiny electric car that has no boot, a 28mph top speed and range of just 46 miles I live in Paris and do everything with an e-bike that also has no boot, no passenger seat, a top speed of ~20mph, a range of ~30 miles... but cost me around €1,200 (since I built it myself). It now has over 7,500 miles. In day trafic it's probably much faster than the Ami, and it can also be put on a train. Couldn't be happi…

If it’s raining/snowing, or too hot, or too cold, I’d much rather be in an small enclosed car than exposed to the elements on a bike. The Ami has a primitive heater but no air conditioning, but there’s no reason that these limitations are inherent to a vehicle of this size. I imagine an Ami-sized car with creature comforts of a regular vehicle would sell extremely well in cities. Biking is great when the weather is a…

That 'raining, snowing, too hot, too cold' argument keeps coming up. You know, we humans are perfectly capable of dressing up appropriately and just enjoying the fresh air, whether it's warm or cold. In fact, it makes you feel alive!

Get the nice warm gloves and raincoat out for winter, or the super light and loose shirt with sunglasses for summer.

Re: The Citroen Ami – tiny electric car with no boot, 28mph top speed, 46 mile range

#97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So far it seems to be very popular as an alternative to buying a scooter for the kid, for parents with enough income. Especially with the £100/month plan. The nimbleness and ease of charge (the thing comes with what's essentially a hoover charging cord) make it rather convenient for city dwellers or close suburbanites. It's also much cheaper than license-free cars (Aixam, Chatenet, Ligier).

I think a lot of people who don’t have electric cars don’t realize that essentially every electric car can be charged with a “Hoover charging cord.”

Charging a Model S over an american household plug takes 3 days.

Re: The Citroen Ami – tiny electric car with no boot, 28mph top speed, 46 mile range

#98
post #26

> the £7,695 tiny electric car that has no boot, a 28mph top speed and range of just 46 miles I live in Paris and do everything with an e-bike that also has no boot, no passenger seat, a top speed of ~20mph, a range of ~30 miles... but cost me around €1,200 (since I built it myself). It now has over 7,500 miles. In day trafic it's probably much faster than the Ami, and it can also be put on a train. Couldn't be happi…

It seems people are never thinking what happens if he is getting old. Good luck when you can still ride a bike when you are 70s and in the snow.

If people exercised instead of living in their cars/offices and walking 5 minutes per day they'd be able to do basic human things at 70 instead of having their body give up at 40

Re: The Citroen Ami – tiny electric car with no boot, 28mph top speed, 46 mile range

#99
post #26

> the £7,695 tiny electric car that has no boot, a 28mph top speed and range of just 46 miles I live in Paris and do everything with an e-bike that also has no boot, no passenger seat, a top speed of ~20mph, a range of ~30 miles... but cost me around €1,200 (since I built it myself). It now has over 7,500 miles. In day trafic it's probably much faster than the Ami, and it can also be put on a train. Couldn't be happi…

If it’s raining/snowing, or too hot, or too cold, I’d much rather be in an small enclosed car than exposed to the elements on a bike. The Ami has a primitive heater but no air conditioning, but there’s no reason that these limitations are inherent to a vehicle of this size. I imagine an Ami-sized car with creature comforts of a regular vehicle would sell extremely well in cities. Biking is great when the weather is a…

As my grandma would say, you're not made of sugar. If the new baseline for human life is to not be exposed to rain and never sweat we can give up now because we'll never manage to make that sustainable.

Re: The Citroen Ami – tiny electric car with no boot, 28mph top speed, 46 mile range

#100
post #47
post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As I understand it, cars are increasingly banned in downtown Paris (even glorified electric bikes like this). I haven't been since before pandemic but I really want to see that. It sounds like a great experiment.

They’ve been running that experiment with great success in the Netherlands since the 1970s. It’s great to see, and even better to experience in your everyday life. I love feeling connected to my environment.

The Netherlands is not a regular country and cannot be used as a template for any other country in the World, except maybe some flat urban area, like Copenhagen, or the Vatican (which has a few hills more than the Netherlands BTW)

p.s. Dutch did not like to hear this, but somebody had to say it.

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