Electric Cars Invasion

1. Skipweasel
   January 11th, 2008 at 7:05 am

   At last the penny is dropping and designers are starting to realise that electric cars are not (initially) going to be a replacement to internal combustion cars, but a supplement. Designing something that will do 80mph, have a range of 200 miles and outperform most small cars is barking up the wrong tree entirely.

   Electrics (intially) will be ideal for the second car in a household, the one that gets taken to the shops or takes the kids to school or the dog to the vet. I reckon the most practical design will be something like http://www.thedigitalbuffalo.com/japan/japanimages/MINIvan500.jpg
   with three rows of double seats, the rear two pairs of which can be removed. It’d take five kids to school or for a day out within 30 miles or so, it’ll carry home DIY materials from the shop, it’ll take the garden waste to the dump and collect the Christmas tree. What it won’t do is do more than 100 miles a day, nor will it do motorway speeds without a long runup. So what? That’s what the other car’s for.

2. webrunner
   January 11th, 2008 at 7:54 am

   I can’t get my laptop battery not to die when I need it, so I’ll pass on battery-powered car.

3. jenny
   January 11th, 2008 at 8:31 am

   some of these cars look like they came straight from the jetsons..
   we ARE heading toward the future haha

4. nhmind
   January 11th, 2008 at 9:34 am

   Looking at the list you linked to at VentureBeat, I’m struck at how small these vehicles are. I’m not ready to share the road in one of these shoe box sized vehicles, with the likes of Hummers, SUV’s, Pickups, in the same space. I can’t imagine getting tapped in my Zap by a F150…couldn’t be good for car or occupants. I like steel, crumple zones, front/back/ side airbags - they provide that extra bit of margin which hopefully me and the family will never need.

5. rgreen
   January 11th, 2008 at 10:13 am

   Sounds awesome! Electric and hybrid technologies are a win/win, and I’m glad people are starting to take notice, instead of stereotyping people who are interested as “greens” and “lefties” and other sorts of supposedly derogatory labels. Easy to see who’s really interested in progress, I think. Bring on the new generation of passenger vehicles, I say!

6. anon
   January 11th, 2008 at 10:34 am

   For a moment I thought you’d posted a picture of a Reliant Robin:

   http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Reliant_Robin_Saloo n_England.jpg

7. GeekAlerts
   January 11th, 2008 at 10:39 am

   True Anon, not far from.

8. Ian
   January 11th, 2008 at 1:47 pm

   I want the Aptera. It looks like something Electra Woman and Dyna Girl would step out of.

9. Mark
   March 31st, 2008 at 9:19 am

   Have a look at ZAP .. everyone would be impressed !

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