Follow us today…
The big advantage for EVs is that they can charge in your garage, and you donβt ever have to go to a gas station; the significant disadvantage is that they have limited range, and public charging generally sucks (it sucks less with Teslas thanks to their charging network). So, rather than build a nearly identical car to an ICE (Internal Combustion Engine), why not create something new and different?
Micro Mobility AG did this in SwitzerlandΒ when introducing the electric bubble car (Microlino) at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. It was a small, well-priced car with a top speed of around 35 MPH, one front door, a lot of personality, and the focused ability to drive for short around-town hops, much like they use Golf Carts in parts of Florida. However, it had far better protection, an enclosed cab (except for the Spyder model), and much more performance.
The Anti-Pickup Truck
Pickup Trucks are generally used less than 5% of the time to haul stuff; they are mainly used for relatively short drives as they tend to be impractical for long trips (unless they have a camper on them).
Granted, the car costs more than a golf cart at around $30K new, which is in line with theΒ Fiat 500e,Β which you could lease almost for free with the Colorado and US EV subsidies.
TheΒ Spyder version of the car, which Micro Mobility AG plans to bring to the US market, differs from the typical Microlino, which looks like a modern BMW Isetta with a single front door.Β The Spyder eliminates that front door, opens up the sides, and allows for an optional Canvas roof, so it is more of an open cab experience targeting markets like the one in Florida, which uses a lot of golf carts.
Now, I have doubts this will take off largely because we arenβt known to be smart about our car buying and too often think bigger is better and that a pickup truck is what will provide status even though most women Iβve met and dated hated the things.Β Cyber TrucksΒ seem to have become the most hated vehicle in the US. But I doubt people who are excited about owning one would suddenly own a car.
Owning A BMW Isetta
My father had twoΒ BMW Isetta carsΒ thatΒ were surprisingly fun to drive.Β Granted, you didnβt want to take them on a freeway because they had a whopping 9.5 HP (no, I didnβt put the decimal point in the wrong place) and a top speed of 47 mph, which you could likely only reach after a lot of time and at least a slight downward slope. Fast and powerful these cars werenβt but they did get around 94 miles per gallon of gas which made them inexpensive to drive and they were so small you never really had to parallel park, just put them face first into a curb and you were done.
What made them enjoyable at car events was they typically had only one big door, which was the front of the car, making them exceedingly easy to get in and out of. And if you were like me back then, a kid with a lead foot, you couldnβt get into much trouble because they were slow. But they werenβt bad date cars; though they didnβt have the status of a Porche, they still were different enough to be fun if you werenβt too geeky.
Wrapping Up:
An electric Isetta is a fantastic, practical car for the kind of driving that is most often done with a pickup truck, short hops, and garage charging. Their far lower price makes them more practical to buy and insure. (You can always rent a pickup on the rare occasions you have to haul something.) If you use a pickup as a work truck, the Microlino isnβt practical, but most people use the truck bed less than 5% of the time.
While I like the innovative approach to this campaign, the anti-pickup truck, I doubt whether many pickup truck drivers will shift to it. Still, for kids who need a vehicle to go to a local school or older adults who need a vehicle to go to the store, this could be a relatively cheap long-term solution to their driving needs. However, Iβd take the sedan over the Spyder because it has that front door and a roof that will protect you from the weather.
Rob EnderleΒ is a technology analyst covering automotive technology and battery developments at Torque News. You can learn more about Rob onΒ WikipediaΒ and follow his articles onΒ Forbes,Β X,Β andΒ LinkedIn.
Follow us today…
