Gail Lucas via EV wrote:
Just learned a new word: hidebound. There are SO many different car
styles there must be wide preferences in appearance. Same as with
clothing, houses, even food shown on the internet in pictures of what
someone had for lunch and think anyone cares. Twizy and Citicar styles
are different enough to appeal to people who can't tell one usual car
body style from the other. They also need less space for parking and use
less electricity than a Tesla so are an inexpensive means to tool around
town.
Willie, Citicars did meet some of the criteria you mentioned, when they
were new. Those I had were already old when I bought them but still
worked well when I found people who could help me maintain them. They
held way more stuff than you could imagine if just looking at one, like
two folding chairs, bulletin board, stack of flyers, large costumes,
baskets of flowers, ice skates, etc. used for Earth Day events. I once
drove two grown men to the Strip in one when their expected
transportation was not available, often took my neighbor with suitcases
to the airport. They functioned very nicely for their intended purpose
and were my only cars at times. I also used a pedal-powered bicycle for
a few years, then upgraded to E-bikes and all were adequate to get me to
work or to shopping, never felt a need to go from 0 to 60 quickly and
didn't miss cup holders. An E-bike could be called a BEV. And don't
forget all the NEVs, some very cute and also practical for many
purposes. It annoys me when I hear people say they can't use an EV
because it won't go 300 miles on a charge. Many could probably manage
with a Citicar except it would not qualify as a status symbol.
Bob Rice was the engineer that designed the CitiCar. Bob Beaumont was
the businessman, with knowledge of the automotive business and financial
acumen. The two made a good team; like Jobs and Wozniak, they could
build and sell anything.
Their vision for the CitiCar was to be simple, cheap, and easy to build
and repair. Something like a modern version of the Ford model T or VW
Beetle. Styling was a low priority for them.
Yes, it was ugly, and crude, and not very reliable. Nevertheless, they
were able to find a market niche where people didn't care what it looked
like. They sold thousands of CitiCars.
Bob Rice always regretted that there was never enough time or money to
do it right. So many things were just the quickest, most expedient way
to get things done. For example, in the auto companies, a team of
engineers take a year to design a door. Bob had to it all by himself in
one week. It was immediately put into production, with no testing.
I still share Bob's vision that such a car could sell. There is a crying
need for truly simple, cheap, reliable transportation. But the
challenges are great. It takes an enormous amount of time money to do it
right; no one wants to do it.
Instead, investors always go for the low-hanging fruit. "Let's build
(yet another) luxury sports car."
--
The belief that there is only one truth, and that oneself is in
possession of it, is the root of all evil in the world. (Max Born)
--
Lee Hart, 814 8th Ave N, Sartell MN 56377, www.sunrise-ev.com
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