Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The most affordable electric microcar yet starts making deliveries (This is the vehicle I want next - end of year in Vietnam)
Electric ^ | September 13, 2023 | Micah Toll

Posted on 09/14/2023 4:04:25 AM PDT by cba123

When I first covered the ARK Zero electric microcar, its specs and pricing sounded too good be true. “I’ll believe it when I see it,” I quipped. Well I guess now I have to believe it, as the company says it has begun making deliveries and shared its first on-road photos.

According to the company, initial deliveries of the ultra-budget vehicle have begun in the UK and France.

Priced at just £5,995 (approximately US $7,500), the UK-based ARK Zero is likely the most affordable electric microcar in the west.

Technically classified as a quadricycle, it is designed to fulfill the car needs of urban dwellers, as long as they don’t need to go too fast or carry more than two people.

The small-statured four-wheeler has a top speed of 28 mph (45 km/h) and an understated 2.2 kW (3 horsepower) electric motor. It’s the same style of rear axle-mounted electric motor used on Chinese micro-cars like my cute little Minghong or my electric mini-truck.

The seating looks like a tandem setup with a pair of seats placed one behind the other, fighter pilot style.

The specs aren’t exactly mind-blowing, but that’s likely because the Ark Zero appears to be designed to meet the lower-performance L6e category of quadricycles.

As an electric vehicle, owners will be able to take advantage of reduced maintenance costs and lower fuel bills, as CEO Yilmaz Bora explained.

(Please see full article at the link)

Now I understand this is NOT for most FReepers. Not at all. Just no.

No, no, no.

NO!

But it is EXACTLY what I want.

(And I believe it will carry two adults, and one kid) And no tarrifs. Because it will be made right here.

Perfect.

(Excerpt) Read more at electrek.co ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: automotive; cheap; electric; evs; vietnam
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 last
To: cba123

I’ve been riding motorcycles and scooters for 52 years in the USA. I have found no place where 28mph top speed on public roads will work. If the vehicle won’t go at least 35mph and won’t accelerate quickly to that speed, it will be a menace in traffic. The current crop of 50cc scooters are the bare minimum.

If the manufacturers can boost these to 35mph and a minimum of 20 miles reliable range, they can become relevant in the USA.


61 posted on 09/14/2023 6:37:45 AM PDT by Poser (Cogito ergo Spam - I think, therefore I ham)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cba123

I can see one sitting in the fast lane on the freeway.


62 posted on 09/14/2023 6:37:49 AM PDT by bray (You can tell who the Commies fear.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Comment #63 Removed by Moderator

To: cba123

Wait still it starts delivering bombs.


64 posted on 09/14/2023 6:56:41 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Blueflag

Does it pass all the DOT safety requlirements?

5-mph bumper, crash test survival, etc.

Might double the weight . . .


65 posted on 09/14/2023 7:22:53 AM PDT by Scrambler Bob
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: ping jockey
--- "It's both a gift and a curse."

That's a marvelous and very historical turn of phrase. Aside from the Twilight Zone and other such modern retelling, the old "first books" tell of curses and blessings being, in a way, the same side of the coin, and, as a very fine sermon I had heard so long ago, even the Beatitudes with their blessings contain by implications the curses.

Such that, when we hear "blessed are the peacemakers," we are suggested to imply "cursed are...."

The tale of your mom is wonderful. Thanks for that. Best wishes.

66 posted on 09/14/2023 7:24:55 AM PDT by Worldtraveler once upon a time (Degrow government)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 63 | View Replies]

To: cba123

28 mph ?

I can just see these things with a line of 50 cars behind them going down an interstate or rural highway.


67 posted on 09/14/2023 7:46:00 AM PDT by Revel
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NetAddicted

Where are you driving where the speed limit is under 30 MPH?

All city streets in Portland Maine have a speed limit of 25 mph unless otherwise posted. That applies to essentially four streets in Portland which are referred to as arterial streets. The speed limits on those streets are 35 or 40 mph. I am not including the interstate or the turnpike that runs through Portland in this description.

I suspect most cities and towns in the northeast are similar to this. We do not have high speed wide boulevards like the rest of the country.


68 posted on 09/14/2023 8:20:42 AM PDT by Steven Scharf
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 53 | View Replies]

To: Scrambler Bob

The plug in hybrids have a much smaller battery than full EVs. They have the gas motor up front just like an F150 and I’m pretty sure the battery is under the bed.

The battery range is small, like 30 miles. But that’s perfect for a lot of milk runs, even out in the boonies where we live.

Be good to see the crash data, but it’s kinda moot since Ford discontinued it.


69 posted on 09/14/2023 8:25:19 AM PDT by Blueflag (Res ipsa loquitur: ad ferre non, velit esse sine defensione)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 65 | View Replies]

To: cba123

You can get a pretty nice golf cart that’s street legal for that price or maybe even less.


70 posted on 09/14/2023 8:26:46 AM PDT by DouglasKC
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NetAddicted
Where are you driving where the speed limit is under 30 MPH?

School zone. Awfully embarrassing to get popped for speeding in that thing.

71 posted on 09/14/2023 8:36:21 AM PDT by Libloather (Why do climate change hoax deniers live in mansions on the beach?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 53 | View Replies]

To: Revel

There is a small set of roads here which cannot be ridden on by slower vehicles. However there is a huge section of roads which are not restricted that way.

Lots of roads have all sorts of vehicles.

Everything from slow push-carts with tiny little engines, motor scooters (Lots of them), rather small trike-things, larger bikes, larger combination vehicles, small cars, utility carts, small trucks, cars, medium trucks, bigger trucks, and a small amount of bicycles and some small amount of other things (which will be growing rapidly). All of which seem constantly to be contesting with each other.

There are some roads where bikes, scooters, are in the outside lanes, cars and trucks in the middle with lots in between. Everyone is going every direction, all the time.

It is really jarring at first. But pretty much everyone goes everywhere. Not a lot of rules, not a lot of police most places, most of the time.

That is how the traffic is. Even weirder is, the bigger the vehicle, the more rights it has.

Which sort of makes sense, but smaller vehicles are not really protected as much as larger vehicles. But they are more manuverable, so the (have to) avoid the busses and trucks.

But everyone is pretty much welcomed onto the roadways, other than the major limited-access roads.

So things just sort of flow. If I understand correctly.


72 posted on 09/14/2023 8:59:18 AM PDT by cba123 (Tôi là người Mỹ. Hiện tôi đang ở Việt Nam)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 67 | View Replies]

To: cba123

Death trap on wheels.
No thanks, I’ll walk.


73 posted on 09/14/2023 9:11:03 AM PDT by Carriage Hill (A society grows great when old men plant trees, in whose shade they know they will never sit.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Comment #74 Removed by Moderator

To: cba123
The fact that you have to pay half of the price up front to reserve one combined with the fact that the company’s website still seems sprinkled with typos don’t bode well. The breakneck go-to-market speed to the apparent lack of online presence before May of this year are also still a bit worrisome to me.

It's a scam. LOL.

75 posted on 09/14/2023 12:35:51 PM PDT by Moltke (Reasoning with a liberal is like watering a rock in the hope to grow a building.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cba123
Must have air-confitioning though.

It has a 2.2 kW motor.

Clipboard01

Do the math.

76 posted on 09/14/2023 12:48:20 PM PDT by Moltke (Reasoning with a liberal is like watering a rock in the hope to grow a building.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: Moltke

I think the typos, are due to translation.

This is coming. Four months…


77 posted on 09/14/2023 3:43:40 PM PDT by cba123 (Tôi là người Mỹ. Hiện tôi đang ở Việt Nam)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 75 | View Replies]

To: Moltke

I think the vehicle is rated (quote/unquote since it is entirely unrated yet) for a certain draw, but it has a hundred km range I think.

So wouldn’t the a/c just need to draw less than the total?

It is a (very) tiny vehicle.

OTOH if it is just too small for that, gotta get something bigger.

We will see.


78 posted on 09/14/2023 4:00:09 PM PDT by cba123 (Tôi là người Mỹ. Hiện tôi đang ở Việt Nam)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 76 | View Replies]

To: cba123
So wouldn’t the a/c just need to draw less than the total?

No, power demand on an A/C compressor is *right now* all the time.

Granted, it's a small vehicle with a small interior space, so the A/C components and power draw could likely be reduced. But then you're looking at custom made components (not off-the-shelf millions of units like in large-scale production cars) which would costs as much as the car itself again.

No, there's no way to run an effective A/C off the low power that car provides.

79 posted on 09/14/2023 4:42:06 PM PDT by Moltke (Reasoning with a liberal is like watering a rock in the hope to grow a building.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 78 | View Replies]

To: cba123

Well, that looks real safe...


80 posted on 09/16/2023 9:04:52 AM PDT by Jamestown1630 ("A Republic, if you can keep it.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson