On 26 Jan 2015 at 3:10, brucedp5 via EV wrote: > Years ago the Sparrow (then NMG) EV was a single seat highway speed capable > EV. But they did not modify its design much to the extent that the cargo was > changed to suit consumer need. Corbin did modify the Sparrow for the then > Dominos Pizza delivery EV idea (pizza butt), but that never went anywhere/for > any real high sales.
IMO the Sparrow was just too expensive for what it was, essentially a nicely appointed and enclosed scooter. In 1999 it was priced at $13k. The cheapest 1999 Honda Civic was under $11k msrp, and most dealers would give you a break. I know, that was probably a very reasonable price considering the Sparrow's limited production - to say nothing of the numerous, disastrous, expensive development blind alleys that Corbin stumbled down in getting it to market. But you have to think like a normal auto buyer. Even if you're enthusiastic about EVs, with something that costs about as much as a decent 4-seat subcompact ICEV, you kind of expect to be able to carry at least one passenger. It might also be nice if you could go to the grocery store without having to carry the bags home in your lap (the non-pizza-butt Sparrow had about enough cargo room for a briefcase). So, with all due respect to the cool little Sparrow (whose development I followed with a lot of interest back in the mid-1990s), it wouldn't take much for the Twingo to top that. On 26 Jan 2015 at 12:04, Lee Hart via EV wrote: > In defense of the CitiCar, it was designed on a shoestring budget by > amateurs. It's amazing that they did as well as they did, with as > little as they had to work with! I guess it tapped into an unknown > well of interest in a truly small, inexpensive, simple car. Small and simple it certainly was.The Citicar was unquestionably quite an accomplishment, given the conditions of its birth. But was it really inexpensive? Well, yes and no. If you compare it with the eyebrow-raising surcharge that the big automakers tack on to their EVs - and sometimes it seems to me that they do that not because they have to, but because subsidies mean they can - maybe. The Citicar didn't cost much more than the cheapest ICEVs, and it cost less than many. On the other hand, if you compare the basic driving functionality your dollar was buying, the Citicar comes out looking pretty pitiful. In 1975, a Citicar cost $2946 (according to the infamous Consumer Reports test article about it). In 1975 you could buy a Honda Civic for $2859, or a Toyota Corolla for $2711. Granted, these were base model ICEVs. Most likely they had cheap vinyl seats and rubber floor mats. They probably didn't even have a radio. But they weren't any more stripped than the Citicar. At least they had roll-up windows, lockable doors, turn signals that self-cancelled after a turn, and a working defroster - none of which was fitted to the original Citicar. And either one was unquestionably far more comfortable, usable, and practical than a Citicar. Again, I realize it's tough for a limited production, essentially hand-built EV to compete with a mass production ICEV. But this is part of the challenge we face in the EV world. As for the Twingo, if I lived in a European city where it was available, and if Renault would sell me the battery instead of leasing it to me (I don't like their battery leasing terms), I'd definitely consider it. But then I drove a Comuta-Car for a while, too. ;-) David Roden - Akron, Ohio, USA EVDL Administrator = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = EVDL Information: http://www.evdl.org/help/ = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Note: mail sent to "evpost" and "etpost" addresses will not reach me. To send a private message, please obtain my email address from the webpage http://www.evdl.org/help/ . = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
