For many people, who have been convinced of electric vehicles’ power and torque, not to mention fuel economy and total lack of emissions, range anxiety probably has to be a major tipping point in the conversation whether or not to buy one.
The conversation about range anxiety becomes easier once you really sit down and consider exactly how you use your conventional vehicle now. Add convenient access to a charging station at home or at the office, or somewhere in between, and an electric vehicle could be the perfect replacement. In some places, crowded city streets aren’t very conducive to getting around in a typical electric vehicle, or even a conventional vehicle, which is why scooters and motorcycles have become so popular.
In the winding streets of the Italian city of Pordenone, in the Northeastern Province, a new electric vehicle is roaming the streets, one that fits into the compact lifestyle dictated by narrow city streets that even some conventional vehicles have trouble navigating. The two-seater Estrima Birò personal electric vehicle also addresses range anxiety in a new way, sort of, with a range of battery options, one of which is removable.
Offering a range of battery options is one way to vary the price of the vehicle, but the fourth option is the one we like best, a removable battery pack on wheels. The 2.86kWh [if my math is correct] lithium-ion battery pack fits snugly in the back of the Estrima Birò and gives the tiny electric vehicle a maximum range of 25mi, at speeds up to 30mph. When the time comes for recharging, the battery pack pops out of the rear hatch and, like innumerable carry-on luggage parcels at the airport, you extend a handle and wheel the battery into your home or office, where it recharges in about four hours on, what I’m guessing, a standard 220V line.
The Estrima Birò also fits in the same space [almost] that is typically reserved for scooters. Finding parking spaces was never easier! The Estrima Birò personal electric vehicle is available already in nineteen counties in the European Union for around $15,000, but I wouldn’t expect to see it here, in the United States, anytime soon.
Image © Estrima
