The bubble car is back! Three-wheeled EVs are landing to offer cheap, hassle-free urban driving
Swiss company Micro, best known for its two- and three-wheeled scooters for kids and adults, has announced an addition to its cute but lesser-known Microlino EV range at the 2024 Geneva Motor Show, bringing a lower-powered model promised. can be legally driven by 14-year-olds in some markets.
Inspired by the famous Isetta Bubble Car of the 1950s, the Microlino Lite features the same forward-opening ‘fridge door’ and three-wheel layout. But this thoroughly modern version is powered by batteries and electric motors.
Micro has stripped this machine down to the most basic, making it contain 50 percent fewer parts than a conventional car and weigh just 435 kg, resulting in a simple user experience and minimal maintenance.
While the standard Microlino has been on sale in some European markets for a while now, with a downright incredible asking price of €21,990, this is the first time the Swiss company has unveiled a model that sticks to the lightweight category in much of Europe four-wheelers (L6e).
The fact that speed is limited to 45 km/h (28 mph), as opposed to the 90 km/h (56 mph) of the full-fat version, means that people as young as 14 can enjoy it in France and Italy. 15 years old in Sweden, Germany, Austria and Spain. Meanwhile, in Britain people have to wait until they are 16.
Unfortunately, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Denmark are a little stricter and freedom seekers will have to wait until they are 18 before they can get their hands on this small electric vehicle.
Thanks to its ultra-light frame, the Microlino Lite can travel almost 100 kilometers on a single charge and recharging the batteries takes approximately two hours from a household socket. There’s also a larger 11 kWh battery (the standard is 5.5 kWh) that extends the range to 180 km – or 112 miles – but takes four hours to charge.
It puts overweight SUVs to shame with its ability to park in tight spots and carry two people in relative comfort, with room in the back for 230 liters of gear. Moreover, the driving experience consists of two simple pedals and a steering wheel. There are more complex golf carts.
But with an aluminum outer shell and a self-supporting steel body, it stands head and shoulders above many competitors in its class when it comes to safety and driving dynamics.
Micro says the Microlino Lite will be available in two colors when it launches this summer, although there are options to add things like Bluetooth speakers, phone chargers and nice fabrics for the seats. But these obviously cost extra.
Unlike the larger Mircolino, this Lite sibling is offered on a lease basis, rather than an outright purchase. Micro suggests monthly payments of CHF149, which is approximately €156 / £134 or $169 / $AUS259.
Currently, there’s no word on the exact markets Micro will launch in, but it’s highly likely that sales will begin in its home country of Switzerland, as well as France and Italy, with much of Europe to follow.
However, this is what Micro spokesperson Merlin Ouboter says The edge that Microlino Lite is eligible for registration in the US as a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV), so it could make its way to North America by the end of 2024.
Analysis: Micromobility is on the rise
The dawn of the electric vehicle era has bizarrely begun with a disproportionate number of large, heavy and expensive SUVs. It is said that despite the lack of local emissions, these bloated giants have a lot to answer for when it comes to hazardous particles released into the atmosphere thanks to the increased wear and tear on tires and, in some cases, brakes.
Plus, not everyone wants to spend a fortune on something that is often useless in today’s busy cities. It’s one of the many reasons why micromobility solutions seem to be on the rise.
We recently reported on the Silence S04 Nanocar, which was also unveiled at this year’s Geneva Motor Show and features some innovative battery swapping technology to make life with a small electric car just that little bit easier.
Citroën also claims that its little Ami has been a great success, boasting that it secured 23,000 orders in its first two years of existence.
While an electric moped is probably not the solution to everyone’s mobility problems, it fills a nice gap by offering cheap, stress-free driving that is especially suitable for dense urban areas where parking is a major problem.
Silence, for example, has found its fortune supplying its S04 Nanocar to large-scale rental fleets and downtown transportation companies, with the vehicle acting as a ship to transport users but charging them by the hour or minute to keep costs down.
As roads become busier and city planners do more to combat traffic congestion and local emissions, city dwellers may soon find themselves behind the wheel of an electric moped and wonder why they ever bothered with big vehicles in the first place.