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Commuter Cars Tango
- davidw 3y agoLooks kind of like Arcimoto, which, sadly, seems to be on the ropes.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- crooked-v 3y agoArcimoto was doomed the moment they refused to put doors on anything.
- readthenotes1 3y agoGiven the rise of SUVs and Trucks (because: loafing legislators & lobbyists) this seems far-fetched
- paulkrush 3y agoBecause I only buy cars that list Headway brand cells near the top of the spec sheet.
- elif 3y agoMaybe if you are average driver (e.g. violently reckless/greedy), accident avoidance would be a viable strategy statistically... Personally, the only accident I have ever experienced was an 18 wheeler gassing it into my rear bumper when I was stopped at a red light.. and I'm certainly glad I wasn't in that little go kart at the time. For a cautious driver that actually follows speed limits and leaves 7 car following distance I don't see this car as helpful in any way.
- elif 3y agoDownvoted for basic physics problem. As small mass impacted by the force of a large mass, the acceleration force is proportionally multiplied. Momentum = mass * acceleration So acceleration = momentum / mass 10x mass Big truck hits go kart, go kart driver is accelerated 10x the speed of the truck. Whiplash, chance of impacting subsequent obstacles, etc. go up
- alanbernstein 3y agoIn the US, It's practically impossible to move away from car-centric design. It's extremely difficult to add width to existing streets in city centers. But one thing we can do is get more lanes from the street width we already have, by moving a significant portion of commuter traffic to tiny cars like this. Incentivizing cars like these seems like the only large-scale mitigation for congestion.
- Karrot_Kream 3y agoThe American regulatory environment only knows how to work with larger vehicles. You can follow Arcimoto's journey on having to classify their vehicles as motorcycles to see an example. Another victim of American car centrism.
- BirdieNZ 3y agoGet just a little smaller, and dedicate a (grade-separated) lane to them, and you have bicycles in a bike lane.
- conductr 3y agoI think bikes are a tough sell to most Americans for one uncontrollable variable called weather. Then you have effort and sweat and then you’ve eliminated most of the others as well.
- dairylee 3y agoOther countries also have weather and they seem to cope ok with it. Obviously there are some extremes which can make it unpleasant but for the most part the weather isn't as big a deal as it's made out to be when it comes to cycling. E-bikes mostly solve the effort and sweat aspect. But that introduces a larger entry cost. I'd say distance is the biggest factor preventing it taking off in the US (Outside of Cities). A mixture of cycling + transit could solve the longer distances.
- leoedin 3y ago
- trilbyglens 3y agoThese would be amazing where I live (Prague). If you're inside the city the max speed you can ever reach is about 50kph, and often far slower. Parking would also be so much easier.
- gocartStatue 3y agoWord for today: bicycle.
- nabilhat 3y agoWell there's a blast from the past. They've been at this a loooooong time [0]. This project was actively discussed on the EVDL by people daily driving an EV1. Reminds me of another project that launched at the same time that didn't quite get off the ground - the Corbin Sparrow. Which also still sort of exists in a kind of limbo somehow? [0] https://web.archive.org/web/20001206202100/http://www.commutercars.com/ https://web.archive.org/web/20001206202100/http://www.commut...
- Isibzn 3y agoThis actually exists in France although not many were sold… https://www.renault.fr/vehicules-electriques/twizy.html https://www.renault.fr/vehicules-electriques/twizy.html
- GaggiX 3y agoThis is just a normal (and normal-looking) microcar, not really that stretch vehicle that OP linked.
- Faaak 3y agoI have one and tbh I love it. Perfect city car. Accelerates fast (up to 50km/h, then ...) and can park nearly anywhere. I added a trailer hitch to it so I can increase a bit the useful space. I have a bigger car too, but if I can I'll take the twizy: driving it is so much fun
- hkwerf 3y agoHonestly, I'd like to have one. But I actually only need it for bad weather and winter, otherwise I'd take the bike or train. And then I generally doubt its actual usefulness in those conditions. Weather can be pretty bad in the German foothills of the alps, where I live.
- Faaak 3y agoI live near the Swiss alps too :-) It's true that without heating, you need a scarf and gloves to drive. However, being a RWD, it's quite easy (and fun :D) to drive in the snow
- joshu 3y agoWhen I worked at Google (in like 2009?) there used to be one of these parked in the lot near 43.
- ffhh 3y agoWhile this is a laudable product they are still stuck with thinking the problems faced when commuting in suburbia are solved by non-structural change. "The problem is not too many single-occupant drivers. It's the design of the cars that they are driving." Putting all discussion of solutions aside, this strikes me as naive. Including this quote on the same page as "The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them." is ridiculous. Highways would still be crowded even if everyone switched to the Tango, and fixing that requires more than a smaller car. "The fact is: People who can afford cars will use them, despite the inconvenience of traffic congestion." This is another point they make that I don't agree with. Commuters will choose their mode of transportation based on comfort, speed and affordability. If another mode of transport rivals the car on these points people will commute less by car. Making this point only goes to show that the people behind the product are locked in a car-centric mindset and that the idea of commuting by train is off the table before it is even discussed. Highway congestion will stay with us as long as cars are the only viable option for commuting, and as long as suburbian sprawl goes on, that will be the case. Even if the cars get smaller.
- crooked-v 3y agoAn obvious counterexample to "people who can afford cars will use them" would be, say, the Tokyo metropolitan area, where an overwhelming majority of commuters of every income level use mass transit. The Tokyo metro area has 37 million people and only about 3 million registered cars.
- creakingstairs 3y agoIIRC you can’t buy cars in Japan unless you have a certificate proving that you have a parking space for it. So owning a car for lots of people in Tokyo is borderline impossible. If you look at Seoul, with similar density and public transit system but without a similar regulation for car ownership, you’ll find that the rate of car registration dramatically increases.
- systemtest 3y ago
- rbanffy 3y agoSo, like a Renault Twizy, but ugly. Probably unsafe as well.
- CraigJPerry 3y ago>> 0 to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds >> 1/4-mile in 12.214 seconds Those numbers are not to be sniffed at. That’s quite a lot sharper than say an Audi S3 (a quick car that’s still entirely conventional for commuting)
- canbus 3y agoit's as fast, if not faster than an RS3 even. Sounds a bit dangerous?
- sparsely 3y agoThe high weight and acceleration seem not that safe for other travellers.
- melx 3y agoA car's a car and that's that (doesn't rhyme though).
- wiz21c 3y agoless cars plz.
- kwhitefoot 3y ago1.5 tonne? For a single person transport? That's as heavy or heavier than the average Japanese or European car. Oops I see it has space for two. And it has no more range than my 2015 Model S 70D that is nearly 700 kg heavier despite having almost as much battery capacity. Bit late for April Fool's isn't it?
- taneq 3y agoYou're upset that a car weighs as much as a car?
- kwhitefoot 3y agoI'm astonished (not upset) that it weighs so much and delivers (in all senses) so little.
- taneq 3y agoFair point, I do feel like it should have better range given the tiny form factor. It's also a very old design, I remember seeing articles about it 20 years ago back when it used lead acid batteries.
- DANmode 3y agoWith all my regards to the creator and engineers, it's effectively a small-production concept car made with parts retrofitted from other consumer vehicles.
- DANmode 3y agohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5SJeotIq20 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5SJeotIq20 This thing flies, you can't flip it, safer than an already-pretty-safe-surprisingly Smart car, lane-splits, and parks anywhere. We may not be the target market, but that doesn't mean it doesn't deliver.
- satiric 3y agoLooks like they're using LiFePO4 batteries, which would explain why the car is stupidly heavy. Wait, they're using a DC motor. How old is this design? (Is it as old as the website design?) I agree, I see no reason for this to exist. For 240 thousand dollars I would expect something that is top of the line. Maybe this was a good car 20 years ago but technology has moved on since then.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]