RUMCars Forum
General Category => Unusual Microcar Discussion => Topic started by: Rusty Chrome (Malcolm Parker) on February 09, 2016, 11:15:18 PM
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Still waiting for something like this to hit the UK. Is it a microcar? Somewhere between a modern-day Mochet, a Twizy and a Twike.
http://organictransit.com/ (http://organictransit.com/)
https://youtu.be/LGDSkFQEOjo (https://youtu.be/LGDSkFQEOjo)
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It's cute - and I'd love a go in one - but is it really a step forward? The weight and air resistance will make it much harder to pedal and manoeuvre than a bicycle, and UK laws would restrict battery assistance to 15 mph, which woud mean it being "in the way", much as C5s were.
There's still one heck of a gulf between the C5 and, say, the e-Up! So far, only the Renault Twizzy seems to be bridging that gap in a credible way.
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I think a lot depends on location, this would be far more viable than a C5 somewhere like Brighton, Bristol or Cardiff.
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Makes my 2000 lime green Honda Insight, that has been my main driver since new, appear a gas hog at 70 m.p.g.
I like it as a bicycle alternative rather than a car alternative for my environs, as the average non freeway speed limit is 45 m.p.h. where I live.
So best relegated to the bike lane.
Modifications/ improvements to increase speed are probably not a good idea as they would result in the legitimate need for further safety engineering, which would increase weight, pedaling effort and the already somewhat pricey cost for this market sector.
So design probably best left alone, except to hopefully bring down cost with increased higher production effects of lowering cost / unit.
Usefulness still most dependent on speed limits near where you live and travel to on a routine basis.
Sorry to have to say it doesn't work for me due to this consideration. :'(
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Elsewhere we were musing on the possibility of powering old style sidecars. This machine has the bodyshape of one of those family sidecars. So you have an impression, no more, of what such a thing would look like. A case of convergent design, although this is a lightwieght modern design, not ali over ash.
Few of our cities are blessed with proper cycleways. Even the new developments are poorly catered in this respect. It hampers what for some could be a answer to transport, leaving a normal car for the more complex transport requirements. It is very hard to find that design which covers such a diverse set of needs across countries to obtain the production figures needed to knock the purchase price down to a level that reward the risk with unforecast sales success. Where big Government could work, but is not.