It’s clear that EVs are already a big part of modern-day motoring. It seems another endeavor is to make personal transportation more accessible for younger people. One of these cars, in particular, can be driven by 14-year-olds, which is a bit worrying. Our colleagues from “What Car” present the four contenders. These are Citroen AMI, Renault Twizy, Micro Electric, and Reva G-Wiz. The actual race starts at 4:00, in case you want to skip straight to it.
Technically, these are not cars, despite having four wheels. They are classified as quadricycles, which means they are exempt from all the rigorous regulations normal cars need to pass. This also means that they shouldn’t weigh more than half a ton, excluding batteries in the case of EVs.
The Citroen AMI is the first to be introduced. It weighs 1,069 pounds (485 kg) and has a 5.5 kWh battery, which allows for a 44-mile (71 km) range. I hear you asking “0 to 60 mph?” – Nope! It has a top speed of, wait for it, 28 mph (45 km/h), or less than the maximum allowed speed in populated areas in some countries. That said, acceleration may be key to winning here.
If “performance” is what you’re after then the Renault Twizy is the one to go for. Although the doors are optional extras, it features tandem seats, just like the Yamaha OX99-11, which we recently talked about, so it’s kind of similar to riding a bike, only less dangerous.
Next up is “The Rolls Royce of electric quadricycles”. Micro Electric is the most luxurious of the bunch. In top-spec, you get air-conditioning, electric windows, panoramic roof, and even a reverse camera, although why you would need one on something this small is beyond me. The range is where it excels, with a 10 kWh battery good for a 95-mile (153 km) range. A 10-horsepower motor can propel the Micro Electric to a top speed of 48 mph (77.2 km/h).
Still awake? If so, congratulations, you made it to the actual drag race. Get another cup of coffee and enjoy what is probably the slowest drag race you will ever see. Honestly, with some of these quadricycles, it may be better to just run to the finish.
The Citroen AMI actually took off very well, but it quickly reached its 28 mph top speed. The G-Wiz, on the other hand, had the worst start of all, but managed to pass the AMI. It really was between the Renault Twizy and Micro Electric, which was dubbed the “Hot Hatch of electric quadricycles”. The race was closer than expected and all, but the AMI managed to reach the quarter-mile in under 30.0 seconds. What exactly happened? Watch the video and find out.