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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.
The original opened the whole chassis forwards and had no reverse gear. Presumably all the original drivers starved to death after driving into their garage.
“We have stripped a lot of the needless instruments out,” said Oliver. “In modern cars you have so many buttons I honestly don’t know what many of them are for.”
And yet you think you're qualified to be a car designer?
No sig today...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_1-litre_car
It was a modern version of exactly this concept that would go 100KM on a litre of diesel, hence the name - Euro "mileage" is expressed as liters of fuel used per 100km so 1l/100km. This is an equivalent US mileage of 240mpg.
The car itself had modern safety standards and good visibility, but was never mass produced, due in no small part to the cost, though the per unit costs would have fallen considerably if it was mass produced.
Give it only three wheels, you can sail by NHTSA with anything.
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
" One wonders how it could meet any kind of safety standards, "
Easy, no side windows and it's a Quad. Just like the electric Renault Twizy.
As to how safety standards can be met: EU has a safety category for light 4-wheel vehicles known as "quadricycles." They have to meet the same (lax) safety standards as three-wheel motorbikes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
No need for a complex design. Hell, retirees down in Florida have crazy pimped-out golfcarts already. No need to reinvent the wheel.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
Charge everybody a hefty fee for driving large personal gas guzzlers downtown in major cities. Provide exemptions for cars like this, electrics and delivery vehicles. They do a limited version of the tax in London already, but it's more of a money grab than a real control on traffic. Even so, it's had an effect.
I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
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.
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Who gets to define what "normal use" is?
Anyone with eyeballs. Just watch cars go by. 70-80% have a single occupant. That is "normal use".
I've noticed that US auto buyers are quite good at justifying the car they want.
I predict most buyers will consider this car to be too unsafe, or too small, or too under-powered.
It doesn't matter if none of this is true for the driver's purpose. Cars are an extension of the self for Americans, and few people would feel secure enough to drive this.
Even if you made the whole thing out of a carbon fiber bathtub, like an F1 cockpit. Getting hit by a 3000lb car would send it flying down the road, like a ping pong ball...
is already a bubble car with 200hp. No need for smaller as it serves both as a tiny car and easy parking and I can drive it comfortably for 1000km and have power to have fun.
by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
12,000 euro's or about $13,600, you might as well buy a real car for that much.
If the car breaks down, you can carry it home.
Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
It's Steve Urkel's clown car!
Tiny "neighborhood cars" with electric motors, for driving around the neighborhood, are common in many areas. They are called "golf carts".
the sort of people who pay that fee would also vote against it. They're also not terribly inconvenienced by gridlock. For a lot it's the only time to themselves they get before going home to the wife/hubby & kids. And they usually live outside the city where pollution isn't an issue.
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with a nerdy kid named Urkele. He wanted to impress a girl by showing off his BMW so he bought one of these.
Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
I understand it is not a sports car but 90 km/h is ridiculous for a grownup's car today. A good portion of my daily commute is done on road with a 110 km/h speed limit. And I am not even talking about highways, where that car may not even be legal.
A car like the Smart Fortwo is barely larger but it is at least capable of highway speeds, which means it can be used to access any kind of road safely.
my average trip is closer to 80 kliometers
You ever hear the phrase "different strokes for different folks"?
Well: different cars for different people.
These is so much nicer than the offtopic trump-bashing and democrat-bashing posts we've been getting.
As long as it has lots of horns. You can never find a horn when you're angry.
You'll get my two stroke lawnmower from my cold dead fingers. You will have to fight my heirs for it. Bring a weapon if you want it.
You can have my lawnmower for free. I hate it. Ick. Noisy and dangerous.
Who the heck invented the idea of lawns that need to be mowed, anyway?
Ever see a F150 get hit by a dump truck? That's why I drive one! My average Dump Truck is way bigger. Finding parking though is a bitch.
Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
Looks about the same length as a Smart Fortwo
Massive compared to a BMW Isetta
Isetta: 2.29m
This thing: 2.4m
Smart fortwo: 2.5m
...I predict most buyers will consider this car to be too unsafe, or too small, or too under-powered.
If 95% of Americans agree and won't buy one ... that's still sales over 300,000 per year.
Which is the sales of the Honda Accord.
It only works if everybody drives small cars.
This car is for driving on neighborhood streets at low speed. It is also focused on the non-American market, where people drive slower, shorter distances, and in smaller cars.
A car like this could work well in China, India, South-East Asia, Japan, and much of Europe.
If they are made available on-demand, like Ofo and Mobike do with electric scooters, this could be a really big deal.
I can't wait for the Russian videos where someone in a bubble car brake checks a semi.
"What was that Ivan? Did you feel a bump?"
[John]
Shit better not happen!
Put on your cynic hat!
Once giant car companies slam their fists about safety features, and useful idiots who have no concerns of regulatory costs, and congressmen looking for political donations start raging threateningly, this already overpriced 12k Euro car goes to 20.
"Three wheels = motorcycle = get away with a lot less? No! The car companies cannot be allowed to slack on safety blah blah blah!"
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
It's a good way to test your date -- show up on a bicycle, on foot, or in a bubble-car. If they aren't interested because you don't drive a Range Rover, might as well know sooner rather than later.
like we need the "The Homer" who should I short be for they roll it out.
How many F150s does Ford sell in Switzerland each year? Not everyone around the world believes that driving around in a big truck (95% of the time with an empty flatbed) tricks others into thinking that you have a huge man-sausage...
So they are bringing back the Pacer?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMC_Pacer
Only a fool pays for fossil fuel cars anymore. Electric cars use 1/2th the maintenance expense, and in most of the West cost 1/10th the cost to fuel.
There's your bubble. It's a bubble caused by reliance on grandpa's kerosene fueled Model T.
Wake up and smell the clean green 2020 world that gave up on your carbon intensive and expensive tax-subsidized lifestyle, gramps!
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
...his dad had a little dirt/gravel hauling business with a dump truck as his main piece of equipment. Come weekend my friend, guess what he drove for going out? The dump truck.
Even a hatchback or small wagon works fine for going up a mountain. You can even tow a light camping or utility trailer with many cars. Besides, how much "stuff" do you need for a camping trip anyway? If you're going to be hiking, may as well stick to what you can carry in a backpack without your spine failing.
with the 3 cylinder which is faster than the 4 cylinder model but does't look as good.
by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
Tall hatchbacks = real cars crippled in the name of style. Taller cars are more tippy, handle more poorly, and are less fun to drive. Give me the damn hatchback it's based on, already. Except this is America, so they don't sell them, because Americans are too vain to be seen in a "cheap" car.
Anyone with eyeballs. Just watch cars go by. 70-80% have a single occupant. That is "normal use".
That car will be quite usable, quite comfortable, to drive under all conditions, save the occasional wildfire fire, flood, earthquake, blizzard and so on. When you need passenger or cargo space, it will be there. When you need range, speed or acceleration, it will be there.
With the right marketing, I think this vehicle could be very successful.
Mimetics Inc. Twitter
Driving one of these, which, is what would happen if you were silly enough to take one out of a small town environment. On the highway, you'd get squished like a bug!
No, you do not need to OWN different cars for different uses. You just need to USE different cars.
You don't need to drive an F150 to drop off an envelope at the post office. Nor do you need to own a four ton truck just in case you may need to haul something someday.
When I am in Shanghai, and I need to go to a local shop, I can grab a bicycle for one RMB (about 12 cents) or hop on an electric scooter for 10 RMB ($1.20). It takes about 2 seconds to scan the QR code, and then I am ready to go. I see no reason these cars can't work the same way.
They may not work for you, but not everyone thinks like you do. For the 95% of the world that are not Americans, these cars could be useful.
My first thought on seeing the headline was that they were bringing back the AMC Pacer!
In Manila something like this would be wonderful if they can get the price down a bit. Nobody goes over 30-40 MPH, anyway, and the roads are terribly crowded. As it is, motorcycles rule, but not everybody wants to ride one.
Do you have ESP?
Like the original Isetta this car has four wheels. The wheels in the rear axle are more closely spaced than in the front axle. That's why it looks like a three wheeler in some of the pictures. See a diagram here: https://www.micro-mobility.com...
Cheap, small, electric, and eventually self driving also. After they become self driving if you need more cargo or passenger space you just rent a second or third one and it follows yours around. The car you rent might be your neighbors.
If they are made available on-demand, like Ofo and Mobike do with electric scooters, this could be a really big deal.
Exactly what I was thinking. This fits right in with bike / e-bike / electric scooter sharing when people 1. want to be covered from the rain/cold and/or 2. need to transport a couple bags of groceries or similar.
www.gaiageek.com
Too many drive F150s for commuting who don't need to. People should stop choosing cars based upon which one makes them look manly. The argument that you might be killed unless you surround yourself by two tons of wasted steel is a stupid argument. May as well say that you should not even walk or ride a bike in your neighborhood because you might be hit by a mini.
Check your math.
Check your reading.
Well, a lot of people used to do that. My grandparents had trucks for the ranch but they didn't take the truck to the grocery store instead they took the car. Of course, this was in the days when trucks were bought to do actual work and weren't silly status symbols for wannabe cowboys. I know people who have a big SUV because they might someday need to carry something heavy, even though they've never needed to do that. You may as well rent a truck for the 1 day a year you need it, the gasoline savings would pay for several rentals.
Get the small car that does 99.9% of the stuff you need it to.
When I hear "Bubble Car" I think of the wonderful, mad, mad mad cars Japan built in their economic bubble.
The 90's Rx-7. The 90's Supra. The Autozam AZ1. The Mitsu 3000GT.
*sniff* Ahh, the good old days.
The "Civilized World" jumped the shark ca. 1973.
Three wheels isn't considered a motorcycle. That's why you can drive a trike without a motorcycle license.
In South america you can see lots of 3 passengers motorcycles which come in this bubble form factor.
They are priced in 1700-2000 USD.
https://www.alibaba.com/produc...
and it looks like the electric ones are coming too.
Even better, the small car...with the truck engine. An aluminium version of the truck engine anyhow.
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
Ever seen a regular dump truck get hit by a Belaz 75710? That's why I drive one! Finding parking is fucking easy, I just run over everything and just stop wherever I want.
#DeleteFacebook
Check and mate.
#DeleteFacebook
A car like this could work well in China, India, South-East Asia, Japan, and much of Europe. If they are made available on-demand, like Ofo and Mobike do with electric scooters, this could be a really big deal.
Actually I was thinking quite the opposite, this could be good enough for my daily commute that I'd probably prefer to own. What I need is for Google to get their self-driving car to my area so I have hassle-free access to a big rental car. It doesn't even need coverage where I want to go, as long as it can deliver itself and drop off itself after I'm done because that's usually the annoying part. Particularly if you have a lot of luggage you have to take public transport to the rental place, drive home, load it up and then on the return drive home, unload it, drive to the rental place, then take public transport home. Of course if it could drive autonomously part or all the way that'd be a bonus.
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
Solution: carry less luggage. Most people don't actually use even 50% of the crap they pack on a trip. Unless you're a salesman with samples or are hauling tools, you probably don't need it.
You don't need to find a parking spot with a dump truck. Just bring some traffic cones and block off an area like it is going to be under construction. Bonus points for bringing one of the construction barriers with the blinking orange light. No cop is going to give a ticket when they think someone is doing emergency road repair.
Reading code is like reading the dictionary - you have to read half of it before you can go back and understand it.
Does it need to be chained to a tree?
The "Smart" car and many like it are effectively crumple zones on wheels, with a high alloy steel cage around the driver. Modern safety standards make just about any vehicle pretty safe. Repair after a fender bender is another story...
IIRC, the original requirements for the Smart Car (build by Mercedes) was "has to fit two adults and a case of beer".
It managed to do this, and at the same time be quite secure car, crash-test-wise (although there were many jokes about it tipping over - the passenger cell still holds).
That car is/was by no means cheap - but many people also bought it because it is small, which can be a good thing on the cramped streets of Europe. There were also special parking spaces for small cars like this.
Mall Utility Vehicles in 4x4er parlance.
Junk, not even the parts are useful.
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
Mom's don't 'like to drive', they just need all the seats within easy smacking reach.
These 'cars' are just restyled minivans. No ground clearance, open diffs, AWD at best.
How many hatches do you want? The real hot hatch is what's hard to come by. I miss CRXs.
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
I'd like more things like a standard Golf or Polo. 100-150hp, hatchback, as bog-simple as possible. Don't care about 250hp and AWD, frankly. I want a boring, almost third-world car that will run for 15 years.
The price tag for this tiny, Italian vapor-car is $13,990, which is $2000 more than the Arcimoto.
If you are smart, skip the Microlino and get an Arcimoto instead. The Arcimoto FUV is faster, safer, cheaper and a lot more fun. It's been in development for about a decade and is not beginning to ramp up to mass production in Eugene, OR.
www.arcimoto.com
My dream car in high school was a big snow plow. I figured if I ran a red light and someone hit me, that was their problem. Plus, I could convert the dump portion of the truck into a sweet mancave. I still want one.
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You obviously don't live in London.
Sent from my ASR33 using ASCII
I saw this on display in the Zurich main station a few weeks ago. It’s tiny - but honestly, I didn’t realize that it was something special, because we have so many odd, tiny cars on the streets here. I’ve seen a variety of single-seater vehicles, most of which I presume are electric, cruising around the streets.
It’s not like they’re a majority or anything, or even all that popular, but they’re definitely around. Still, looking at the spec sheet, this seems like it’d be a significant step up for that market, and I could very much see it being useful for people who need to commute short distances (though I personally take the train - parking my Model X or even the S5 in the heart of the city would be expensive and painful).
I can see two of these from my office window sitting in our company carpark: https://www.renault.de/modellp...
He said that 95% of the world population are not from the US. I make it nearly 95.7% but 95% is close enough. The population is not globally significant in most matters - certainly not when discussing future vehicle engineering.
A side note. You live in Germany so
Check your math.
Needs adjusting. Outside the USA, mathematics is known to be plural so "Check your maths makes more sense.
I'll see your Constitution and raise you a Queen.
Yes, in a state of sleep deprivation I misread a comment on Slashdot. I'm sure there'll be an article about it soon.
-=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
Works out at around £10,000 for which you could get a safer 4-seated Citroen C1, Hyundai i10, Kia Picanto, small cars or the slightly larger Dacha Sandero and have some change! All of the above are motorway-capable too. I've probably missed a few
Three wheels isn't considered a motorcycle. That's why you can drive a trike without a motorcycle license.
At least here in the UK, bubble cars, Reliants and trikes were only really ever a thing precisely because you COULD drive them on a motorcycle license. Back in the 1950s/60s car licenses were relatively unusual and it was extremely easy to get a motorcycle license.
Once you have a car license there are no obvious advantages of a 3 wheeler over 4.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
Anyone with eyeballs. Just watch cars go by. 70-80% have a single occupant. That is "normal use".
That car will be quite usable, quite comfortable, to drive under all conditions, save the occasional wildfire fire, flood, earthquake, blizzard and so on. When you need passenger or cargo space, it will be there. When you need range, speed or acceleration, it will be there.
That is assuming the current model of owning one vehicle to do everything. The point is that if it was economically and technically possible, it would make much more sense to have a one-seater with a lunchbox-carrying capacity for your solo commute, a two-seater with some luggage capacity for taking your partner shopping and a six-seater with a trailer for taking the whole family camping once a year.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
When you add the Federally required airbags (front and side), stability controls, ABS, etc, the same thing will happen that happened to the European version of the SMART when it came to the USA - they weight will nearly double, and all the benefits go away
-- 73 de KG2V For the Children - RKBA! "You are what you do when it counts" - the Masso
Don't call it a comeback. They've been here for years, rocking their peers and putting drivers in fear.
So I have a legitimate question (I think).
I know here in Canada (and the US) there are many cars that we do not have access to because they basically don't (and cannot) meet modern safety standards. I know over the years some which were available needed to leave because of that (Land Rover Defender is one example). There are a lot of cool cars out there in the world that we never have the opportunity to own because of this (or even import).
That said, there are exemptions for classic cars, of which there are tons on the road. In addition, things like legal motorcycles have nothing like the required safety standards of cars, just seeming they exist just fine. The latest is electronic scooters and the like that all share the same roads... Why is this the case? How is it that a car for example that doesn't have an airbag is seemingly too dangerous for the public to drive on roads, but a motorcycle is?
Where does it say Neighborhood Electric Vehicle? A Neighborhood Electric Vehicle is basically a golf cart, capable of up to 25mph. Article says up to 90km/h (55mph) and 90km (75 mile) range so I don't know where this "Neighborhood Electric Vehicle" suggestion in the description came from.
12,000 euros is only $13,700 which is a great price point, $10,000 less than the next cheapest electric car, the smart fortwo ED, but I really think it needs at least a 70mph top speed so it can attempt to drive safely on US highways. Even if the range decreases some, the greatly increased usability is worth it.
Also, after seeing that the smart fortwo ED has a 80hp electric motor, are they sure that 20hp electric motor they're planning on using can reach 55mph? They look roughly the same size and that's 1/4th the power, 55mph might be optimistic, or it might take a very long time to reach 55.
And maybe $13,700 isn't that great, considering you can get a 4 door Fiesta for the same price, but it's nice seeing EVs drop to the prices of the cheapest ICE vehicles even if they aren't quite as practical.
my karma will be here long after I'm gone
Can you say camping trip? I knew you could. Lots more stuff you need to carry. You can get the carry weight down by buying the right gear, but that involves serious expense. Just as with bicycles and laptop computers, less weight equals more money.
Or how about a trip where you are going to DO something and need the equipment for the activity? Or a visit to family when you are carrying presents? A trip to a formal event where you need fancy clothes for the occasion? Or just a trip to a place where the weather is highly variable, so you need cold weather and rain gear that you may or may not use? (On that camping trip you probably WILL need them; if you're up in the mountains it's not unheard of to have 90 degree temperatures at midday and 40 at night.
And we haven't even addressed the question of special needs. If you need to transport any adaptive or medical equipment, the weight can add up quickly.
My personal goal is to use at least 80% of what I pack. I'll never reach 100% because I pack a spare change of clothes for anything longer than an overnight, and because I may have things for weather contingencies. And I always overpack socks and underwear because things can happen.
Looks like a roller skate!
You don't want a VW. Terrible cars, maintenance nightmares.
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
Needs a small block chevy!
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'