A new design of city car can squeeze into tiny parking spaces at the push of a button. The City Transformer is a two-seater, super-light EV with two modes…and sizes. Out of town, the little car is capable of 60mph, but for slower-speed urban areas its wheels can be retracted by 40cm.
The odds always seem to be stacked against groundbreaking car design but the City Transformer could be a useful addition to car-share, last-mile delivery and emergency service fleets.
Can drivers be lured away from SUVs? Photo from citytransformer.com
The City Transformer might make sense on paper but its main challenge will be to lure motorists away from the larger cars that remain so popular in urban areas.
What’s so good about SUVs anyway?
Take a stroll down almost any UK street and you’ll notice the fashion for SUVs remains very much in full swing. However, might the tide be about to turn?
Fuel prices might be lower than they were last month, but heavier, larger cars like SUVs tend to be more expensive to run – just one of a number of reasons that make them an imperfect choice of vehicle for many. After all, while SUVs give the impression of being safer, their occupants are 11% more likely to die in a crash than in a regular saloon. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the height of SUVs makes them twice as likely to roll in crashes and twice as likely to cause the upper body and head injuries that are more likely to kill a pedestrian in the event of a collision.
City Transformer is currently taking deposits for its shape-shifting little city car – only time will tell if it enjoys the commercial success it deserves.
The ethical choice
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John Heathcote
Many of the times that I use my car, rather than my bike, are times when I have something big and/or heavy to move that would be a challenge even on a cargo bike, or when there are several people. If I had one of these little cars, I’d need a proper one too.