Small, Special-Purpose Electric Vehicles Haven’t Taken Off, But That Could Change
Why hasn’t the market opened up for small, fun-to-drive, low-cost EVs for use in urban settings, campuses, and last-mile commuting to and from mass transit? I’m not sure anyone has an answer to that question.
Had this happened as I (erroneously) predicted in 2009, companies like EmCycle certainly would have flourished, along with dozens of others with similar transportation concepts. Yet this whole space never really developed, and maybe never will.
Here’s an entrant, the Acrimoto SRK (pictured), that sounds just as good as any I’ve seen, and I’m rooting for them to succeed; the world will most certainly be a better place if that happens.
Craig,
We own a number of this class of vehicles for resort and island rental applications. (It was a way of selling solar).
The reason this class of EV isn’t popular is because it’s a very specialized product. These EV’s are very expensive in comparison to to rival ICE models, (Mainly due to battery costs) and impractical for most apartment dwellers.
Batteries make the vehicles very heavy, which is a disadvantage for the female market, and unpleasant to use in heavy traffic or rain, etc.
They also require helmets in most locations, which again restricts sales as much as a lack of range.
Yeah, someone else mentioned helmets too; that’s a drawback. It’s because they’re classified as motorcycles, I suppose in an effort to beat the safety testing.
this is a very good idea to set down small vehicles in the downtown