I covered this little guy briefly in the last article, but felt as if there was a bigger story waiting to be told. Out of all the goofy little electric micro cars, quadricycles and trikes I've seen, this is the one I'm most likely to eventually cave in and buy one of as a hobby project.
While technically a one person vehicle, a rear facing child seat was later sold which users could install for hauling a kiddo around, complete with their own little bubble to watch the world pass by out of.
There were also many different optional upper halves. Some had a hard top, some left out the middle section but included a boat like button-down fabric weather guard, still others were cabriolet styled.
The CityEl had a lot to offer back in the day and is still well loved by those who owned (or still own) one. It's a cult classic that there exist meetups/clubs dedicated to, where today's owners swap tips about how to upgrade their CityEl, where to buy or how to make replacement parts and so on.
This is the inside of the CityEl's rear end (giggity). What's the first thing that jumps out at you? Besides the fact that the body is all plastic I mean. It's the batteries, isn't it? Let's zoom the fuck in and take a closer look. ENHANCE!
This is the 36 volt version as you can probably tell. Those are three Optima yellow top SLA batteries, about the best possible choice if you absolutely must use a lead acid battery. They're far and away better than what the CityEl originally came with:
Bulkier, uglier, and if yours came with flooded cells, a danger to your life should you ever somehow flip the vehicle over. Not a pretty sight, and far from ideal. That's why the number one most common user upgrade is lithium ion batteries:
That's more like it! I see a lot of large format Thunder Sky cells in these things, strung together in series. There's few enough cells that they typically don't even bother with a BMS, though there is one attached to the cells in the picture (the thin wires running to reach cell individually).
Case in point, a more typical setup, no BMS to be seen. If you go this route you save money but have to trust every cell is in roughly identical condition, and may occasionally have to disconnect the cells and individually charge them to ensure the pack stays balanced.
Some users replace their motor for higher speeds, with the added bonus of making room for neater battery placement. Lithium ion cells offer 5 times the energy density of lead acid on paper, but various real world losses add up such that you don't quite get such a drastic range increase.
Still, a vehicle which once did thirty miles on a charge can be made to do over 100, and at higher speeds to boot. It's not just the increased energy density that counts here but also the much lighter weight of lithium batteries compared to lead.
The dash. Not much to look at. The big red button cuts off the battery from the controller, rather than activating an ejection seat as you might hope given how poorly a vehicle made mostly from plastic is likely to fare in a collision. The view from inside while driving looks something like an X-Wing scooting along the ground:
Anyway that's all for this article. It's a charming, weird little machine isn't it? Every day I have to convince myself not to impulse buy one, mostly because of the shipping cost for something that size/weight from Europe and the fact that I haven't the time to take on another project right now. Gotta stay strong.
Stay Cozy!
This is my favorite one and we need a upgraded model of this in terms of technology to fit into the present generation.
Its not looking so composed and integrated.
That might be the reason it is outdated.
I want to gift this car to my beloved wife :)
Thank you...steem on and stay blissful...
@alexbeyman,
For a single person to ride they have wasted a lot of technologies :D Actually I hate to drive in this bath tub :D Happy New Year dude!
Cheers~
Cool ride, I'd say it is safer than riding a motorcycle... but not by much if you were to get into a crash. Those wires in the old setup looks really scary...
I can see you driving around in one of these, right after it explodes from an emergency compartment in the STEEM RV.
It does look like an escape pod, doesn't it?
yea @alexbeyman
I find it amazing that the leaps in battery technology are giving an old, rather poor performing vehicle like this new life.
I can attest that the newer AGM batteries are a significant upgrade from flooded lead acid. We have one in our tiny house and it performs magnificently.
Jay Leno restored a 1914 Baker Electric and he estimated (or somebody did, I think I heard this from a podcast) that if you were to fit one of those 'cars' with as many Modern Nissan Leaf or Model S cells as you could fit in the the old battery compartments, it would travel between 600 and 700 miles at the original speed of 25 miles an hour. Just because it weighs so little, being mostly wood and leather.
25mph is just about optimal speed for electric motor efficiency, and much above 40mph over half of a vehicle's energy is spent simply pushing air out of the way.
Interesting. I had heard of 100 year old electric cars before. It's still mind boggling that the technology is that old.
Loved watching the video. This vehicle looks smooth and very easy to drive! I wish more of these types of EVs were easily accessible :)
That is SOO impressive , I would get one , though I feel like it would easily get destroyed . Just looking at it I would feel like I’m driving like a grandma . You’re a tech person, it would suit you
Man, while the deign itself seems like a pretty poor idea for an on road vehicle (since you'd more than likely be utterly destroyed should a collision ever happen at a high speed), I can't help but think this thing has a big cool factor to it. Should I ever hit it big on here in 7 or 8 years or something where I could afford it, I'd definitely scoop one of these up just to have such a neat little piece of bizarre history in the garage.
At a glance I saw it that Car with Solar Cell, apparently an electric car.
I think the Electric Cars are similar to the Boats at my place. The shape is small in front and big back.
I am less interested in the shape that is so silly to me. Maker is less Good design.
I'm not interested in the shape of the electric car above. unless the car can work in rivers or seas.
Ah, the bathtub on wheels:) Would love to see some pics from the dash. Will google them now.
The Top Gear crew should mod one so it actually is a functional bath tub you can drive, with its own water heater.
I would definitely sport a CityEl! Very cool EV.
I have a passion for Electric Vehicles as I think they are going to be a huge way to cut down emissions that cause climate change. Thanks for sharing this info!
Some of the electronics descriptions did went up over my head but i liked the driving of the car video it does indeed looks pretty cool !
I would prefer a tesla.
Wow very nice car but only single person can ride this..that is only a small drawback ..technolgy is super and the suspention system is arranged very well and looking awesome..thank you for sharing with us..@alexbeyman
You should get one and bring it inside to convert into a true Virtual Reality gaming cockpit, adding blasters to the side or front for show. What better way to play Sublevel Zero or place to get stoned out of your mind...
That's a serious crime it turns out
Some are worth it for the legend it'll forge from you.
cool..but only one person can travel on it..so it makes a problem.. :) thanks alot for sharing this info with us sir :)
Alex - Good post & I checked it at youtube & found this video... This car very cute one, but when comparing to Nissan Leaf & your electric car, I feel funny...
Happy new year eve Alex...
+W+
Before modern electric cars, strange little plastic buggies like this one were the only option for people that wanted an electric vehicle. :/ If you think this one is bad, look at the Myers NMG:
A lot of batteries there in the trunk....
I would actually love one of these just to go and get the groceries each week! They are so unique they would be turning heads everywhere you went.
Wow i didn't knew single electric car also existed. This car is also included in my dream car list now.
In a very beautiful way, you introduced us very well with the cars that were introduced in 1992. If we do not get these posts through you, then in a day we will not be able to get a post like this, we will not be able to get acquainted with the car, But we can not get to know such cars, we will not recognize them. Actually all of us are genes Getting familiar with it is important nowadays we are thinking about something new, do not worry about how old things have come up, but in your post I found it very good to have made words in doubt and who gave us car images.
Very unique @alexbeyman, I have never seen a vehicle like this before. @resteem.
awesome car
thank's for info..
owenderfull Your post
Awesome car
Nice post
wow incredible car, I had never seen one like it, and good specifications, you're really going to buy one? How much does one cost?
a greeting
No
a great post. I like this post. I've come with you. if you have time to visit my blog
wow what a nice car creative post .... :)
Wow this car is unique i dont think i have ever see it before, thanks for sharing.
hahaha very creative i want it ........
Good article. resteemed 😇
I am waiting at the time they fly.... I am very sure for that. it's possible.
Very nice driving video and car is awesome.
I'm curious how they will look like in next ten years :d
wow you are amazing..i think you are a multi talented one
this is awesome i love it so informative wow