5 ms·

CityEl Electric Car from 1992

42 points by danielovichdk 5y ago

happy-go-lucky 5y ago
There is an Indian carmaker called Reva Electric Car Company. They design and manufacture compact electric vehicles. They have been in business since 1994. Their first vehicle was REVA (Revolutionary Electric Vehicle Alternative). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahindra_Electric https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahindra_Electric
- robin_reala 5y ago
  London was absolutely full of those 15 years ago; they were rebranded as G-Wiz for some reason.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
_fizz_buzz_ 5y ago
Around the same time there was this car: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotzenblitz https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotzenblitz Actually really cool, just a bit too early for its time.
_ph_ 5y ago
There were some cool electric cars in that time. Back then they were held back by the batteries. But revisiting these designs with contemporary batteries should be a game-changer.
baybal2 5y ago
Unfortunately tricycles share downsides of both motorcycles, and cars, and advantages of none. Even this way, an inverted tricycle is usually cheaper/better because it eliminates the differential, and allows for the centre of mass in between front wheels.
- sokoloff 5y ago
  There are some regulatory advantages. In the US, they are legally motorcycles and so you need to meet only the motorcycle regs, not the (generally) more onerous automobile regs.
hoseja 5y ago
These always remind me of that oil company-sponsored intentionally unappealing electric car from Simpsons.
- ant6n 5y ago
  "I don't drive very fast... or very far." https://youtu.be/X2HX5wsQVEA https://youtu.be/X2HX5wsQVEA
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
tdrdt 5y ago
Rich Rebuilds did a video on this where they replaced the battery with a pack of modern cordless drill batteries [1]. Unfortunately they crashed it later but it shows that the old batteries just were not ready. I also remember our city had electric vehicles around 1985. At the end of the day they could only drive very slow at a walking pace. [1] https://youtu.be/erMhK4Hf16E https://youtu.be/erMhK4Hf16E Edit: just remembered the brand of the electric vehicles: Spijkstaal. They are still in business https://spijkstaal.com https://spijkstaal.com and have been creating electric vehicles for over 80 years!
adav 5y ago
I have a Citroen Ami on order and can’t wait! I think it might be the perfect “car” for London. If you’re into the idea of little electric cars that are ruthlessly utilitarian it’s worth checking out.
- antihero 5y ago
  But surely driving in London should be basically avoided unless you absolutely have to do it, ie you have a bunch of stuff to move, in which case a tiny car is inadequate?
prxtl 5y ago
If they're able to deliver on their promise, a startup in India called Strom Motors is building a small vehicle that looks very similar to the CityEl! https://www.strommotors.com https://www.strommotors.com
Faaak 5y ago
I was able to get a Zagato Zele [0] from ~1974. One of the first "real" electric cars. A 2 seater with only two speeds (no variation, just 2 relays and a resistor in series). With 100kg of lead acid batteries, this thing didn't get very far. But to be fair, it was so much fun driving with it. So noisy with their reductor, but a fun little car nevertheless. Reminds me of the Renault Twizy which was a fail but fun. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zagato_Zele https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zagato_Zele
_trampeltier 5y ago
My mom had an yellow "Pinguin" in mid 90s. I think she had it short before the first smart came out. For short trip to the city it was nice and easy to park anywhere :-) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puli_(car) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puli_(car)
antfarm 5y ago
To me, the ideal design for an electric car has always been: not a Lexus with a battery, but an electric bicycle with a roof and some storage.
- foxyv 5y ago
  Unfortunately, such cars are illegal in the US unless they are classified as motorcycles or NEVs. NEVs are limited to side streets under 35mph usually.
- floxy 5y ago
  Yes, I wonder why can't something like the Lit Motors or Lingyun self-balancing motorcycles get into production? Is it safety/regulatory hurdles? Lack of perceived (or actual) market demand that scare away investors?
- willio58 5y ago
  The way American city streets are designed, riding a bike low to the ground sounds like a death sentence unfortunately
  - ashtonkem 5y ago
    And due to the lack of regulation around vehicle height. Even OEM vehicles often do not allow the user to see a small sedan in front, and that’s before they’re modified into small monster trucks.
- timbit42 5y ago
  Like an Organic Transit ELF or a Better Bikes PEBL? ELF: https://organictransit.com/ https://organictransit.com/ PEBL: https://www.better.bike/ https://www.better.bike/

42 points by danielovichdk 5y ago

There is an Indian carmaker called Reva Electric Car Company. They design and manufacture compact electric vehicles. They have been in business since 1994. Their first vehicle was REVA (Revolutionary Electric Vehicle Alternative). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahindra_Electric https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahindra_Electric

robin_reala 5y ago
London was absolutely full of those 15 years ago; they were rebranded as G-Wiz for some reason.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

_fizz_buzz_ 5y ago

Around the same time there was this car: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotzenblitz https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotzenblitz Actually really cool, just a bit too early for its time.

_ph_ 5y ago

There were some cool electric cars in that time. Back then they were held back by the batteries. But revisiting these designs with contemporary batteries should be a game-changer.

baybal2 5y ago

Unfortunately tricycles share downsides of both motorcycles, and cars, and advantages of none. Even this way, an inverted tricycle is usually cheaper/better because it eliminates the differential, and allows for the centre of mass in between front wheels.

sokoloff 5y ago
There are some regulatory advantages. In the US, they are legally motorcycles and so you need to meet only the motorcycle regs, not the (generally) more onerous automobile regs.

hoseja 5y ago

These always remind me of that oil company-sponsored intentionally unappealing electric car from Simpsons.

ant6n 5y ago
"I don't drive very fast... or very far." https://youtu.be/X2HX5wsQVEA https://youtu.be/X2HX5wsQVEA

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

tdrdt 5y ago

Rich Rebuilds did a video on this where they replaced the battery with a pack of modern cordless drill batteries [1]. Unfortunately they crashed it later but it shows that the old batteries just were not ready. I also remember our city had electric vehicles around 1985. At the end of the day they could only drive very slow at a walking pace. [1] https://youtu.be/erMhK4Hf16E https://youtu.be/erMhK4Hf16E Edit: just remembered the brand of the electric vehicles: Spijkstaal. They are still in business https://spijkstaal.com https://spijkstaal.com and have been creating electric vehicles for over 80 years!

adav 5y ago

I have a Citroen Ami on order and can’t wait! I think it might be the perfect “car” for London. If you’re into the idea of little electric cars that are ruthlessly utilitarian it’s worth checking out.

antihero 5y ago
But surely driving in London should be basically avoided unless you absolutely have to do it, ie you have a bunch of stuff to move, in which case a tiny car is inadequate?

prxtl 5y ago

If they're able to deliver on their promise, a startup in India called Strom Motors is building a small vehicle that looks very similar to the CityEl! https://www.strommotors.com https://www.strommotors.com

Faaak 5y ago

I was able to get a Zagato Zele [0] from ~1974. One of the first "real" electric cars. A 2 seater with only two speeds (no variation, just 2 relays and a resistor in series). With 100kg of lead acid batteries, this thing didn't get very far. But to be fair, it was so much fun driving with it. So noisy with their reductor, but a fun little car nevertheless. Reminds me of the Renault Twizy which was a fail but fun. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zagato_Zele https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zagato_Zele

_trampeltier 5y ago

My mom had an yellow "Pinguin" in mid 90s. I think she had it short before the first smart came out. For short trip to the city it was nice and easy to park anywhere :-) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puli_(car) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puli_(car)

antfarm 5y ago

To me, the ideal design for an electric car has always been: not a Lexus with a battery, but an electric bicycle with a roof and some storage.

foxyv 5y ago
Unfortunately, such cars are illegal in the US unless they are classified as motorcycles or NEVs. NEVs are limited to side streets under 35mph usually.
floxy 5y ago
Yes, I wonder why can't something like the Lit Motors or Lingyun self-balancing motorcycles get into production? Is it safety/regulatory hurdles? Lack of perceived (or actual) market demand that scare away investors?
willio58 5y ago
The way American city streets are designed, riding a bike low to the ground sounds like a death sentence unfortunately
- ashtonkem 5y ago
  And due to the lack of regulation around vehicle height. Even OEM vehicles often do not allow the user to see a small sedan in front, and that’s before they’re modified into small monster trucks.
timbit42 5y ago
Like an Organic Transit ELF or a Better Bikes PEBL? ELF: https://organictransit.com/ https://organictransit.com/ PEBL: https://www.better.bike/ https://www.better.bike/