New tiny car thing in Wellington

[F5 Dave]

Saw a n00b on a CBR500R get a ticket for using a pay and display yesterday (he'd paid for it) and he just nutted off. Didn't want to understand that council bylaws mean he can't use them.

I understand his frustration.

Especially when some whack doodle fuckwit then tries to compare a shit car with a motorcycle and parks exactly the same way he did with no repercussions.

Fuck the trappings of authority with a 250cc chainsaw.

I like how you're thinking.


Followed by a 250cc MX bike

[Jay GTI]

Its fuel use is hidden behind the grid so its use or otherwise of fossil fuels must be qualified by where the power comes from. If you charge it in Auckland, chances are it'll be indirectly using fossil fuels at Huntly, I believe. Unless you have your own generation facility e.g. PV, that is. At least NZ has good renewable supplies so it is more likely to be true here than most other places.

Much like most of the press around electric/hybid vehicles, they always seem to report like they think the batteries make themselves for free, with no environmental impact and have an infinite service-life.

[Erelyes]

Saw a n00b on a CBR500R get a ticket for using a pay and display yesterday (he'd paid for it) and he just nutted off. Didn't want to understand that council bylaws mean he can't use them.

I understand his frustration.

So do I, as that's farkin stupid. Dunedin allows bikers to buy P&D, they are allowed to just keep the receipt to present to PO or to send in if a ticket's issued.

On topic, that thing is hideous, heavy, and FAR too expensive. I can only guess they are basing pricing off what a Smart ForTwo costs?

[Ender EnZed]

http://www.commutercars.com/

Have a read, it actually sounds pretty awesome.

Apart from the US$200000 price tag and the fact that it's gayer than a Honda scooter.

[James Deuce]

http://www.commutercars.com/

Have a read, it actually sounds pretty awesome.

Apart from the US$200000 price tag and the fact that it's gayer than a Honda scooter.

Just get the bus.

[Tazz]

Really kids. Stop thinking you know - and research.


If you are going to discredit it - do it on something substantial.

Who yanked your chain

I have nothing against it, other than doing 240km/h in something with that sort of wheel base, no matter how low the weight is...fark that.

Other than the price ticket and the utter uselessness of anything other than getting you between two points that are close-ish or where you have 10 hours spare I think they are awesome. Can jump in wearing your suit (which is a pain on a bike) and motor along a bit happier in the winter.

As for the special parks...if it's only 1m wide you could park it inside next to the coat rack

[GrayWolf]

Who yanked your chain

I have nothing against it, other than doing 240km/h in something with that sort of wheel base, no matter how low the weight is...fark that.

Other than the price ticket and the utter uselessness of anything other than getting you between two points that are close-ish or where you have 10 hours spare I think they are awesome. Can jump in wearing your suit (which is a pain on a bike) and motor along a bit happier in the winter.

As for the special parks...if it's only 1m wide you could park it inside next to the coat rack

and WHO yanked your Leash??? Get back in Ya kennel like a good boy!!!

and WHO in their right mind would do 240kph+ on a short wheelbase vehicle with NO bodywork, inbuilt safety protection??
At least the low center of gravity will be a lot more stable than some of the monstrosities out there already. Almost 400km.s to a charge? Sounds a quite reasonable distance compared to a Priapus.

Think I'd stick to a Spyder for shyte weather conditions though! given the options

[swbarnett]

I would rather commute on a crowded motorway of Tangos than bloody Pajeros and Landcruisers and Explorers.

If the motorway is full of these things forget about lane splitting. Then again you may not have to.

My concern is how it would stand up in a good wind. Even thought the weight is down low I still question if it would be enough. It looks like it would act as a sail. Even buses and large trucks have trouble with high winds.

[swbarnett]

Not about being special - its about not caving your head in on a pole. Its the reason cars don´t come with roll cages from the factory.

You don't even need a roll cage to come off with brain damage from contact with the door post.

[Ender EnZed]

My concern is how it would stand up in a good wind. Even thought the weight is down low I still question if it would be enough. It looks like it would act as a sail. Even buses and large trucks have trouble with high winds.

It weighs as much as a medium sized car and has a much smaller surface area for the wind to push against. It's going to be less affected by wind than just about anything.

[SMOKEU]

That car looks like a lot of fun. It will be funny to troll cagers who expect something that small to be really slow.

[Ender EnZed]

That car looks like a lot of fun. It will be funny to troll cagers who expect something that small to be really slow.

Especially if you'd just filtered up to the front at a set of lights.

[SMOKEU]

Especially if you'd just filtered up to the front at a set of lights.

If the car delivers what they promise, I wouldn't mind owning one actually. It will be funny as fuck to shit over V8 Commodores and Falcons at the traffic lights just to see the look on the other drivers face.

[James Deuce]

It's interesting how many of our "brethren" are choosing to ignore the fact that this piece of shit mobility scooter is being offered all the advantages of a motorcycle, which in Wellington means competing for a small and decreasing collection of "free" parking that is gone by 7:30am, however the piece of shit roll cage with a hi vis jacket on gets to park in pay and display parks with impunity. The staggered formation dream is the sort of thing that would have that rabid Nazi fuckwit motorcycle cop in Wellington chasing and ticketing motorcyclists for impeding the flow of traffic. I bet he'd escort these fucking horrible abominations in a staggered formation, given the opportunity.

Wellington's infrastructure is being deliberately made less motorcycle friendly from the top down. This is just another dig at motorcyclists, those who chose to ride something that falls over if you don't put the sidestand down.

WTF is anything that size doing weighing 1500kg??? And only carrying two medium sized people? Blatant waste of resources, marketed on the back of a romanticised vision stealing from motorcycling commuting thunder. I hope they fail and have to go live with their Grandma in the Chathams.

[swbarnett]

It weighs as much as a medium sized car and has a much smaller surface area for the wind to push against. It's going to be less affected by wind than just about anything.

You may have a point. However, the important thing in the wind is not the weight but the leverage. Being so narrow it may be affected. It just depends on whether the weight is enough to resist the force of a gale to the side. Be good to see some wind tunnel tests.