The CitiCar Is an Electric Cheese Wedge from the 70s [video]
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I wonder if this was Simone Giertz's old car 'Cheese Louise" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXzcIoq2ing
It’s too bad he didn’t say why (presumably he wasn’t able to find out), but I think that deserves at least a little bit of snark.
The vehicle is clearly not production ready. Doors which don't have a latching mechanism (apparently use friction to remain closed), poor braking, 3-position switch for acceleration, defroster and AC which are ersatz and provide no function but rather like those "cross road buttons" . Kit cars are probably better quality.
I don't recall ever seeing one, or even hearing of them, which makes me wonder if they were marketed at all in Los Angeles back then. I wouldn't be surprised to learn they were not.
I distinctly remember watching television, seeing a street full of these things and thinking, “Why would anyone want an electric car? They look stupid.” And you know what? The did. Every electric car looked stupid, including General Motors’s EV-1. That is until the Tesla Roadster.
Tesla may eventually flame out in a pile of debt and mismanagement, but Tesla changed the industry by making practical electric cars that looked like cars that someone would want to buy. There’s no going back from that. Kudos.
I suspect it's because they really weren't a good car for LA which was built for cars from almost the beginning. The hills and traffic would've be horrible for the CitiCar.
And yes, Tesla has changed the industry and has been the only American car company that really has in the past 70 years, which is truly remarkable. I'm still amazed at how much they've moved the entire industry.
I hope they keep on going. What they (we) really need, and I'd expect they're working on it, is a smaller, more affordable car. "A car for the masses", something in the $15-25k range. It won't need any of the self driving functions and 100-150 mile range would be enough for the target market.