Slashdot Mirror
Return of the Bubble Car? (reuters.com)
mikeebbbd writes: Back in the 1950s, many European carmakers (some of which are still in operation such as BMW) made tiny cars for one or 2 people that ran on tiny amount of gas. The remaining examples of bubble cars have become sort of a fetish. Now two Swiss brothers, according to Reuters, are trying to resurrect one of the more iconic designs -- the BMW Isetta. One wonders how it could meet any kind of safety standards, but a prototype is shown in the article. Perhaps it might be registered as a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle, which gets it by a few standards? Oliver and Merlin Ouboter have more than 7,200 orders for their Microlino, a modern version of the Isetta which swaps the old single-cylinder petrol engine for a 20 horsepower electric motor but keeps the famous front-opening door. The brothers, whose father Wim made millions from modernized kick-scooters, plan to launch the car in December. "The average modern car is way too big for normal use," said Oliver, the project's 24-year-old operations chief.
It was great fun. The front opening door was really practical - you drove up to the kerb, front on, and us kids got out safely. Visibility was great - although large trucks might find it hard to see you. Mostly it was driven under the same rules as a motor bike. Had a motorbike type gear change as well, but the Heinkel had a reverse gear, I believe the Isetta did not. I think they should not be allowed on motorways though.
A friend of mine had a Messerschmidtt (the car, not the fighter) - not nearly as good, and much less safe. Electric is definitely preferable to a 1950's 2-stroke engine in almost any way you can imagine.
Sent from my ASR33 using ASCII
What does an electric car really need? A little OLED screen to show speedometer, battery charge, and warning messages/turn signals/light status.
A lot of other stuff can be dispensed with. Windows are sliding, so no power needed. Electric chairs in a two-seater are pretty silly. What else? Maybe a USB music player, two dials for fan and air temperature, a reverse/off/forward switch.