I have talked about micro-EVs. I have expressed interest in owning one. I have put a down payment on two, one since refunded and one “still waiting” I have worked toward converting a TukTuk into an EV. And, probably more.
Here are some posts here on such vehicles:
- https://a42.com/whats-happening-with-small-3-wheel-evs/
- https://a42.com/veemo-is-back/
- https://a42.com/silence-s04-microcar/
- https://a42.com/zev-nano-van-for-wheelchair-users/
- https://a42.com/karbikes-4-wheel-bicycle/
- https://a42.com/nimbus-3-wheel-ev/
At this point I am not hopeful that a vehicle is going to appear in my life. So I want to explain (OK, think about) what the ideal vehicle would be for me and then propose a way to get from my current nothing to something that would meet my needs and maybe the needs of someone else.
What I Think I Want
I live in Guatemala City and almost never travel outside the city. It’s a fair-sized city (millions of people). The weather is always moderate (between 10 and 30 C, 24/7/365) and relatively flat. I tend to travel by walking, bus and, rarely, by cab. Most of my trips are alone, some with my daughter and/or grandson. If I have cargo, it is no more than a backpack-sized package. If it is larger/heavier, a taxi or “flete” (someone with a pickup) is the answer and tends to be very inexpensive and worth the cost for the additional help.
The only real weather issue is that for half the year it rains almost every day. Not all day but enough to interrupt many trips walking. As for top speed, 50 kph is fine and less is probably OK. I am all for something with pedal-assist and a range of 40 km is more than sufficient.
The one that I made a deposit on that got refunded was the Nimbus. I would have preferred a bit more passenger space but it was close enough. The Karibike is possibly a better fit but I think a 3-wheel vehicle is sufficient. The layout of driver in front, passenger(s) in back where the back converts to cargo space makes sense.
A Vehicle Kit?
The vehicle is closer to a bicycle than a car — both in terms of the parts that make it up and in legal issues. My point here is that much of what makes up the vehicle can come from available bicycle (or motorcycle) parts. Some, batteries being a good example, can come from the e-bike market. A bicycle wheel with hub motor for the back wheel should do it for drive and can have a chain wheel added for pedal assist. There are two pieces that will be “new”:
- The frame — that is, what to attach the pieces to
- The cabin — a front faring and a top
I am going to leave the idea here for now but encourage feedback. With some additional thought and feedback, this could evolve into the A42 car kit.
