Electric vans

[BTB 500]

Starting to see these more often in London, hope they fare better in crash tests than the infamous G-Wiz?!

http://www.megavan.org/

Pret A Manger have them:

Quite neat little things, do I remember hearing that free parking was being scrapped for electric vehicles though?

 

[Dieselman]

These are built by Axiam-Mega and pass EU crash tests as all Axiam vehicles do.

http://www.aixam.com/eu/index.php?page_id=1145&mere_id=1142

 

[st4]

The GWiz was an unsafe car, that wasn't due to how it was propulsed, just the shoddy way it was built and its poor crash structure. These aren't the reasons to condemn electric power

 

[stevesey]

Can't help but thinking that whoever suggested the name "megavan" as being ironic

 

[st4]

I am worried you don't need a licence to use some of these vehicles. They are essentially cars capable of speeds that one can't obtain on a push bike, and in a crash capable of inflicting damage on others that you can't do by running into someone while running on the pavement. I have never operated a pure electric vehicle but the usually skills of driving a conventional car (automatic) must apply.

Apart from that they seem fit for the purpose to which they were designed.

 

[Dieselman]

I don't think you can use them in the UK without a licence, only in France as they fall under the quadricycle rules.

If you fancy one here's the uk importer...

http://www.aixam.co.uk/crossline.html

 

[st4]

I'd rather have

http://www.aixam.co.uk/scouty.html

Reminds me of a raised/shortened smart coupe/roadster and Suzuuki Vitara convertible

 

[janner]

I did look at buying one but it was SO flimsy.
On the plus side you'd never go fast enough to hurt yourself
The one I drove was a diesel and it was like a tupperware box with wheels powered by a cement mixer engine.

 

[glojo]

Is this anything new? In the 1950's electric milk floats were an extremely common sight.

The Plymouth Co-op would use these vehicles to transport goods from warehouses to all their different outlets, be that grocers, greengocers, or chemist. The vehicles would work by day and go on charge by night.

I actually went through a radar trap at well over 40mph!! Lethal vehicles to drive

John

 

[Ian B Walker]

Is this anything new? In the 1950's electric milk floats were an extremely common sight.

The Plymouth Co-op would use these vehicles to transport goods from warehouses to all their different outlets, be that grocers, greengocers, or chemist. The vehicles would work by day and go on charge by night.

I actually went through a radar trap at well over 40mph!! Lethal vehicles to drive

John

Careful John, your secret world of undercover Milk Rounds is going to come out in public, best you edit your post before Dieselman comments on your speed

 

[Sp!ke]

We've not gone far have we?

The first horseless London Taxicab was introduced by Walter C. Bersey, on 19th August 1897. The cabs were battery operated and had 3½ horsepower Lundell motors and electric lights inside and out.

 

[glojo]

We've not gone far have we?

Good point,
The first four stroke engines worked on exactly the same principals as our modern car engines, but just look at the huge scientific strides taken with aircraft propulsion

In 1969 we had men walking on the Moon and in the 1970's they were driving electric car's on that same Moon.

Now we are supposed to be impressed with that so called huge stride forward in technology

John