Strange Vehicle Spotted Locally
We spotted this vehicle in Berkeley this past week. It is an Electra Meccanica, one of a new breed of electric microcars that are gaining in popularity in Europe and Asia, although this one comes from nearby British Columbia. It is 10 feet long and 5 feet wide, that's 5.25' shorter and 1 foot narrower than a Tesla Model 3, yet is fast enough to be driven on freeways. Its curb weight is 1735 lbs, which is less than half of the weight of a Tesla 3 (3,648 to 4,250 lbs).
With half of all trips in America being under three miles, what would El Cerrito be like if a good share of the automobiles on the streets of were replaced by vehicles this small? There are even smaller ones being manufactured in Italy, China, and Switzerland. The Swiss Microlino is 8.25 feel long and 4.8 feet wide, and weighs 1,179 lbs. The Microlino is limited in speed for local urban errands—25 to 30 mph.
With these taking up less than half the length of a standard 8' x 20' parking space, how would this affect parking on our residential and commercial streets? How would it affect bicycling if bicycle riders shared streets with these narrow vehicles? Full-size cars and trucks don't just consume gasoline, they beat up asphalt. What would the cost of roadway maintenance be if more of these microcars replaced big heavy ones for running local errands? In an ideal world everyone would walk and bicycle, but even Amsterdam and Copenhagen have a long way to go to achieve that. A heterogeneous mix of modalities could have greater benefits than a bimodal mix of full-size electric cars and bicycles alone.
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