Electric cars may not get cuter than the Microlino 2.0 - Roadshow:
The Iso Isetta is one of numerous cult classic cars the 20th century bestowed on us. Quickly, it earned the nickname "bubble car" due to, well, the fact it kind of looks like a bubble.
Now, it's poised for a return, thanks to Switzerland's Micro Mobility. The company previously revealed its intentions to create a new, electric version of the bubble car back in 2016, but on Wednesday, the Microlino 2.0 debuted.
[...] As the company continues to ready the electric bubble car for production, the price holds firm. Those who place a reservation will pay roughly $13,500 for the car when it's ready for delivery. Easily, I could see this challenging the Citroen Ami in Europe as long as Micro Mobility puts together a quality car. We should see the first cars ready for customers in 2021.
Wikipedia entry for the original Isetta "Bubble Car"
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Bot on Saturday March 07 2020, @11:43PM (2 children)
The Isetta is notable for the way you got inside from the front, displacing the wheel. Microlino does too, but all you need is to run cables around, it's more interesting in the Isetta.
As for the ami, it is way uglier than the boxy Estrima Biro, which has been on the street for years and has a user swappable battery, so I don't get all the hype.
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(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 08 2020, @12:27AM (1 child)
Look at Microlino photo 5 of 8, I think the steering wheel is fixed in the car. In the Isetta the steering wheel is attached to the front door, so it moves out of the way for easy entry (one of the bottom photos in the wiki entry).
Note to another poster with a snide comment about crash safety -- don't think about this as a car, think about it as a weatherproof motor scooter or small motorcycle. Safety is much improved!
Finally, the original Austin Mini (c.1960) was the British attempt to build a very small, but "proper" car, normal doors, etc. The Mini was sold directly against the European bubble cars that were making headway in the UK market in the 1950s.
(Score: 2) by Bot on Monday March 09 2020, @11:39AM
No it is on the door, at least in this version with an insanely big wheel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lTfYLuAeFU [youtube.com]
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