October 10, 20178 yr https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/12/driving-the-low-carbon-future-meet-chinas-low-speed-electric-vehicles
October 10, 20178 yr Interesting. Maybe the push for public transport is misplaced and people want their own individual private space however small. We or at least I see these as ugly, but fashions change
October 10, 20178 yr it's a very good start. Give it a couple of years to mature, who knows, they may come here.
October 10, 20178 yr I'm sure eventually these might well catch on and become popular. In the late 90's I saw my first Smart car in France at a massive Hot air balloon gathering I was participating in, at the time I thought funky and French chic too small a car that will never catch on .
October 10, 20178 yr http://solarteameindhoven.itility.nl/ Today 978 Wh / km at 70 km/h average of solar energy
October 11, 20178 yr it's a very good start. Give it a couple of years to mature, who knows, they may come here. We've already got the equivalent, the excellent Renault Twizy, and that can carry a tandem passenger or extra luggage for short trips:
October 11, 20178 yr the Chinese smaller sibling sells for $4,000 in China - well below the price of the cheapest Twizy and the price of the Twizy does not include the battery pack which is on hire. https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Automatic-Gear-Box-and-Left-Steering_60222729525.html Edited October 11, 20178 yr by Woosh
October 11, 20178 yr the Chinese smaller sibling sells for $4,000 in China - well below the price of the cheapest Twizy and the price of the Twizy does not include the battery pack which is on hire. Which will easily cost the same as the Twizy if it gets here, and it uses a lead acid battery. You of all people know the huge difference between Chinese home market prices and what we pay here for most Chinese product. .
October 11, 20178 yr Which will easily cost the same as the Twizy if it gets here, and it uses a lead acid battery. You of all people know the huge difference between Chinese home market prices and what we pay here for most Chinese product. . that buggy car may qualify for low emission subsidy, perhaps not as much as £4,500 a pop but possibly £1,000. If you do a personal import: FOB: £3,300 Freight: about £400 VAT: about £750 Total: about £4,450 less possible low emission subsidy.
October 11, 20178 yr I wonder if we'll ever see the Yamaha version of Gordon Murray's car ? http://images.car.bauercdn.com/upload/31304/images/1752x1168/02gordonmurraymotivfop.jpg?mode=max&quality=90&scale=down
October 11, 20178 yr that buggy car may qualify for low emission subsidy, perhaps not as much as £4,500 a pop but possibly £1,000. If you do a personal import: FOB: £3,300 Freight: about £400 VAT: about £750 Total: about £4,450 less possible low emission subsidy. Post BREXIT perhaps an opportunity for you?
October 11, 20178 yr Post BREXIT perhaps an opportunity for you? you mean recelling all those buggy cars with Lithium ion cells?
October 11, 20178 yr you mean recelling all those buggy cars with Lithium ion cells? One would hope that the Chinese would have done that by then, the car has been around awhile in its current format?
October 11, 20178 yr You just need to swap out the LA battery for a few HL batteries wired in parallel, you should be able to fit 6 x HL batteries in the space used by one LA. I have run the numbers on a Twizzy vs a home made e-vélomobile and it costs over twice as much (2.3 times) per month and covers half the range. It does carry more luggage and/or a small passenger. It is easier to get in and out of but the aerodynamics aren't as good and it won't do 90 km/h downhill...
October 11, 20178 yr that buggy car may qualify for low emission subsidy, perhaps not as much as £4,500 a pop but possibly £1,000. If you do a personal import: FOB: £3,300 Freight: about £400 VAT: about £750 Total: about £4,450 less possible low emission subsidy. Would it not also need type approval, CE marking etc and of course tax and insurance, before being eligible for use on public roads.... This is a real question, not a put down?
October 11, 20178 yr Would it not also need type approval, CE marking etc and of course tax and insurance, before being eligible for use on public roads.... This is a real question, not a put down? Of course. On the surface, at least, this looks like an commercial opportunity to me and if I were remotely associated with transport I would explore it.
October 11, 20178 yr There is a lot to be said for tiny cars, not only in big urban areas where parking is a problem. there are still plenty of small villages throughout Europe, usually highly picturesque, untouched by wars over a thousand years, where even small cars like a twingo or VW up! have difficulty. All that is needed is a very low gear to traverse their steep inclined. Many people, particularly elderly , but not only, need them as shopping baskets. A big problem is the need for additional insurance and maybe road tax. Modifying these constraints is a simple problem for governments.
October 11, 20178 yr that buggy car may qualify for low emission subsidy, perhaps not as much as £4,500 a pop but possibly £1,000. If you do a personal import: FOB: £3,300 Freight: about £400 VAT: about £750 Total: about £4,450 less possible low emission subsidy. Some people spend more on a conventional bike let alone an ebike
October 11, 20178 yr Would it not also need type approval, CE marking etc and of course tax and insurance, before being eligible for use on public roads.... This is a real question, not a put down? The Chinese factory will pay for all of that. You'll get a CoC with type approval with the vehicle. You pay registration fees, number plates and insurance. I think VED is nil.
October 11, 20178 yr Some people spend more on a conventional bike let alone an ebike and it won't do 90km/h downhill like AKW said...
October 11, 20178 yr I would rather have a go at building something my self. Being thinking of building a go cart for my grandson. May as well build something he can grow into.Here just a few of the cars I have being looking at. Sent from my MTK8382 using Tapatalk
October 12, 20178 yr Funny that you should say that craiggor, I had to look at a job last Sunday, and that was fitting out this. I built the garage, fitted it out, constructed certain elements of one of the cars, and have now been asked if I could fit this half size replica out with an electric motor.
October 12, 20178 yr Nice,is it a kit ? Keep us all informed if you do electrify it. Sent from my MTK8382 using Tapatalk
October 13, 20178 yr Not a kit as such. My friend had bought at auction as an in finished half scale build. Sadly the person that started the build/project had died. The plans alone for it are a work of art. Someone had put a lot of time and effort into getting it this far, and it is a shame that the never got to finish it. Personally, I would rather stick to the original owners plans of making it just a pedal car. For me, it somehow seems wrong to deviate.
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.