Lets look at the average car for a second, yes it might spend a lot of its time with only one user, BUT there will be times when it\\\’s got 3 or more people inside, or it\\\’s full of shopping, or luggage or whatever. Now lets\\\’ look at the average car owner, they buy a car they like and they\\\’ll pay a reasonable amout of money for it, they like the choice, the freedom and the ready availability of it sitting on their drive. The cars full of CDs, sweets, kids\\\’ stuff old junk etc.

Now we all want to stop them using that for their commute maybe, for the time when there\\\’s just one person inside it, We\\\’d all like to see our cities full of single person low emission low space vehicles like this one, BUT if we charge them as much as a car to own one, they\\\’ll go and buy a car like the above mentioned Toyota or Honda or whatever. WHY? because it\\\’s more practical and better value for money. This vehicle like so many before it becomes a rich boy\\\’s plaything.

If you really want to get people into glorified bubblecars you have to look at why they did it last time. BECAUSE THEY WERE CHEAP!!!

So to steal a line for Pepsi – REDUCE TO THE MAX. Get rid of the tilt, make it a tadpole (two wheels at the front) trike for greater stability so it doesn\\\’t need to tilt. ditch the fancy and costly technology. The aim should be to build something that competes far more with those little 125cc scooters with a correspondinly low price point. I\\\’m sure if they can sell a Chinese built 125cc scooter in Europe for €1200 then they could build and sell a modern bubble car for under the €2000 price point. And then maybe you\\\’ll get people to actually buy one.

1. Too expensive.
2. Relatively unsafe. Would you feel comfortable if your child was driving 60 mph in this thing?
3. Withou a track record. How about replacement parts? How about parts 5 years from now?

I’m all for imagining and creating a new way to get around, see value in brainstorming such ideas, and believe that such ideas may lead to great changes WAY down the road. If that’s the goal here, that’s fine.

But the endless parade of cool but impractical vehicles is starting to depress me because
I don’t think it’s very helpful right now.

We have things like the Honda Fit and the Toyota Yaris. IMHO it would be beneficial to focus some of our energy on adapting such “boring” vehicles into something electric. Then you’ve got a reputable name and a familiar product form that might actually have a chance at widespread acceptance.

I don’t believe that BMW to be in the business of stealing technology so I hope there is a deal behind the scenes with Carver

http://www.flytheroad.com/