Kew – Why? And how? 1. Planetary, Societal and Commercial Need. Cars – even the most recent electric cars – are entirely unsuitable for cities. They consume too many resources, because they are so big and heavy – and they clog up our streets, especially in restricting other traffic when parked at the side of the road. We intend to address this by designing and building an entirely new fleet of small urban cars – and developing a complementary business model which can so

Kew – Why? 1. Societal Need. Most cities in the UK and across Europe were originally laid out and planned around people. Streets were public spaces and used as much for pedestrians and discourse as for travel by wheeled vehicles. Speeds were lower and road users were not pitted against each other. Much less of the total area (if any) was given over to parked vehicles. We need to recover our shared road-space for the benefit of all. 2. Technical Ability. As a team,

Kew – Why? 1. Societal Need. Most cities in the UK and across Europe were originally laid out and planned around people. Streets were public spaces and used as much for pedestrians and discourse as for travel by wheeled vehicles. Speeds were lower and road users were not pitted against each other. Much less of the total area (if any) was given over to parked vehicles. We need to recover our shared road-space for the benefit of all. 2. Technical Ability. As a team,

Cars are increasingly unwelcome in cities. Congestion, either due to traffic or parking, limits the operating efficiency of the private car system in terms of time, space and energy. The past … In Europe, streets were largely walkable or “15-minute cities”. · Streets were public spaces, as much for socializing as for transport. · Mostly pedestrian traffic – although hand carts were commonplace. · Horse drawn wagons used only for larger traded goods and w

Our venture will be sustainable in every respect – the whole commercial proposition and the little car itself should be easy to produce, use, refurbish, remanufacture, recycle and replace. Eventually, it will be made obsolete by another better design. We must be the company that does this – not one of our competitors. Profitability must go hand in hand with the 100% circularity of the business. This is the foundation of our design and development endeavour. We should strive f

Cars are increasingly unwelcome in cities. Congestion, either due to traffic or parking, limits the operating efficiency of the private car system in terms of time, space and energy. The past … In Europe, streets were largely walkable or “15-minute cities”. · Streets were public spaces, as much for socializing as for transport. · Mostly pedestrian traffic – although hand carts were commonplace. · Horse drawn wagons used only for larger traded goods and w

(In all of these points, I have used the word “car”. I use the word in its lay context. In strictly legal terms the vehicle would in all probability be a light quadracycle. Whatever category of vehicle it fits into, it will meet or exceed all relevant legislation.) The car has got to be lightweight, simple and inexpensive for the customer. How can this best be achieved while still having a robust and reliable vehicle optimized for customer acceptability? This is relevant to t

Cars are increasingly unwelcome in cities. Congestion, either due to traffic or parking, limits the operating efficiency of the private car system in terms of time, space and energy. Some historical context – the past … European city streets were built for pedestrian traffic, with horse drawn vehicles used only for larger traded goods and by the especially wealthy. As such, and insofar as it was consciously designed at all, urban road space was largely given over to pedestri

Some historical context – the past … European city streets were built for pedestrian traffic, with horse drawn vehicles used only for larger traded goods and by the especially wealthy. As such, and insofar as it was consciously designed at all, urban road space was largely given over to pedestrians. Hand carts were commonplace, wagons and horse drawn carts less so, and carriages really quite rare – in comparison to the volume of all vehicles on these same roads today. The pre

Environment · Short term hire on UK urban streets (journey times from 5 minutes to 2 hours expected). · Parked in dedicated bays or mini depots (new use for retail premises?) · Car Club use? (ZipCar, WizzGo, etc.) · Similar usage further afield – EU, North America, Australasia, etc. Users · Young, savvy, city dwellers / workers with low to moderate disposable income (18 upwards?) using card / phone payment (same as hire scooters, “Boris Bike