Chris Cherry
Electric vehicles much smaller than a traditional passenger car are catching on quickly, particularly in countries with dense urban areas, like in many European locations and in China.
Such vehicles are a fraction of the size at a fraction of the cost, all while having less of an environmental impact than other e-vehicles, as they don’t require the same materials and can be partially recycled.
So why aren’t they more popular in the US, where the most direct comparison would be the golf cart?
That’s the question Professor Chris Cherry tackled for Fast Company, explaining that the way we use roads is a big factor.
“In the US the question is, ‘where do these things fit?’” Cherry told the website. “And that’s in part why they don’t really exist at scale here.”
He explained that their size and design makes them unsafe in mixed traffic of any kind, and their speed wouldn’t be enough for US roadways, pointing out that our infrastructure caters to traditional vehicles and micro-vehicles like scooters and bikes, but not anything in between.
The full article can be read free at Fast Company.