Zoomi Life

Remember those scientists in California who came up with that goofy electric box with four wheels that looked like a really unstable golf cart? Well, this new F-City concept looks very similar to that, but without the bicycle pedals…

The group “Vehicles of the Future” (a French “cluster” of designer/builders) plans to have the F-City into production in 2010. The car is a short-range, low-speed commuter designed to carry two people and their stuff.  It’s innovative concept is in its swappable battery pack, which can be traded out in about ten minutes using a “rack system.”

The 2-seater is powered by a small 13.5hp electric motor that gives it a maximum speed of 65km/h (40mph) for 80 or more kilometers (50 miles). The full charging time is 5-8 hours, but the rack system promises that these rental cars will be easily put back on the road–and quickly.

Meant as daily or hourly-use rentals, the F-City has little to give in the way of comforts. Two seats, a fairly standard (if slow) driving experience, and patently ugly looks are about all it has to offer.  It does have embedded GPS and terminal locator maps in the dash, but that’s about it.  The vehicle itself is basically a roll cage with windows.

The F-City probably won’t be coming to America (at least anytime soon), but the basic concept is sound and the swappable battery pack seems to be a recurring theme in EV rentals now.

Source: AutoMotto