"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
09/05/2018 at 06:53 • Filed to: electric, low speed vehicle, neighborhood electric vehicle, antique, classic cars
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"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
09/05/2018 at 06:53 • Filed to: electric, low speed vehicle, neighborhood electric vehicle, antique, classic cars | 1
| 5 |
I’d like to direct your attention to this photo:
Rear seat of a 1920 Detroit Electric Model 82 Brougham
This is the rear seat of a 1920 Detroit Electric Model 82 Brougham, with the tiller and speed control folded up.
Front seats of a 1920 Detroit Electric Model 82 Brougham
These are the front seats of the same car. Note that there’s no controls up front, only gauges. And, the brake pedal is on the floor.
The early 20th century EVs tended to have a sitting room layout, with the driver in the back seat, so that all occupants of the car could converse. That is, of course, completely horrifying, although these cars did top out at ~25 mph or so.
However, in 2018, there’s a class of vehicle, the FMVSS 500 Low Speed Vehicle, that is designed for four-wheel vehicles under 3000 lbs GVWR (note that the EVs of the period were over 3000 lbs curb weight ), with a top speed between 20 and 25 mph.
...as far as I can tell, there’s nothing stopping you from putting the driver in the back.
Enjoy that horrifying thought today!
Wobbles the Mind
> bhtooefr
09/05/2018 at 07:24 |
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My mother-in-law must have had one of these, I always hear her stomping the brake pedal when she’s backseat driving!
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bhtooefr
> Wobbles the Mind
09/05/2018 at 07:28 |
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Also note that there were front control models (typically for those who had chauffeurs), and dual control models (for those who wanted to drive themselves only sometimes).
You probably shouldn’t have a dual control model.
This is a 1923 dual control model:
Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
> bhtooefr
09/05/2018 at 07:29 |
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Whilst today, demand for lithium for batteries is causing problems with the supply of water in Chile.
zipfuel
> bhtooefr
09/05/2018 at 18:27 |
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Is that category of low speed vehicle road legal where you are ? I know here in Toronto there was a company called Zenn Motorcars making little electric cars that were classified as low speed vehicles. They were basically enclosed golf carts with better range for places like retirement communities etc.
There was a bit of a campaign to try and get the provincial government to make them road legal for city use but it fizzled.
I’m actually not opposed to this idea, think of it like a pontoon boat for the road: kind of slow moving and social. Which as traffic approaches total gridlock is exactly what we are going to need...
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bhtooefr
> zipfuel
09/05/2018 at 18:33 |
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Yeah, and they’re legal in most US states, with the caveat of, in most states, only being legal on 35 MPH or lower speed limit roads.
(Also, IIRC, the Zenn was a French Microcar MC1 with the stock 2-cylinder diesel+CVT powertrain ripped out, and an electric powertrain put in.)