The idea of a microcar is relatively new in our country, even though I've noticed microcars in the past, although those were gasoline-powered and thus, made a lot of noise.
Why a microcar for urban transport?
That's what I've asked myself before setting foot in one of E-Mobility Rentals' vehicles. We took the microvan for a spin and it was way more fun than I initially expected and less scary, also. First of all, when you get in the little microcar, you realize it's not all that crammed inside. There's plenty of room for two grown adults, should you take a passenger with you.
The steering wheel, the tablet and the controls are all where you would expect them to be on a regular car. The only few differences lay in the positioning of the pedals, the gear shifter and the parking brake location. Let's start with the pedals, which are positioned slightly to your right, although given that you'll operate them only with your right foot, that's hardly an issue.
The gear shifter is basically a button which can be rotated left or right for reverse, neutral and drive and it is placed on the middle console, right beneath the tablet screen. Then comes the parking brake, which is located around the middle area and is operated similarly to an old Mercedes-Benz, in the way that you have to pull it in or away from you in order to activate/release it.
Some of the features of the van that we've driven are electric windows, a tablet on board for the various entertainment system options and the reverse camera, as well as a ventilation system.
How does it feel to drive one of those
When you decide to go, it's time to get out of the parking spot, which. can be done forwards or backwards. If you need to reverse, no worries, you have a backup camera, which is actually very usable. Not that you wouldn't be able to check your mirrors to reverse, since the vehicle is very short, but the camera certainly helps.
Note that there's no power steering, though, and despite the vehicle being lightweight and small, at around 600 kilograms, you'll be doing some gym steering those wheels, especially on spot. Once you move, it's certainly way easier.
Once you're on the go, it's a pleasant ride. You won't feel the bumps in the asphalt more than in a normal car and speed limiters are also no problem. Microcars are ideal for driving on tiny streets where poorly-parked cars might be a serious issue for a traditional vehicle.
But the little van had no trouble whatsoever passing a car which was parked pretty poorly. We also climbed quite a few hills in the electric microvan, also without issues at around the maximum top speed limit of 45 km/h.
Should you need to brake fast for a pedestrian or a stoplight that just turned red, no worries. The lightweight of the vehicle and the strong brakes make it that you'll stop very quickly, especially since the top speed itself isn't exactly mind-bending.
Accelerations happened fast, although we didn't transport more than ourselves, which is to say about 150 kilograms, but even so the car is sprinty enough for the busy city. And chances are that if you drive it on a busy day, you won't hit that 45 km/h top speed limit that often, anyways.
Pedestrians are very curious about the car and most will take a quick glance while you let them pass, so there's certainly some interest in these vehicles and the value proposition they offer.
Full batteries in a matter of minutes
E--Mobility Rentals proposes a different approach to driving a small EV like these microcars. Instead of spending time at a dedicated charging point, why not let the batteries charge in a swap station and only replace them when they need to be replaced with fresh ones?
And that's exactly what they do. When the three batteries run out of the promised 150 kilometers range, they can be swapped for new ones at one of the company's many swap stations found within Bucharest in a matter of minutes.
This makes it way faster to get back on the road again and the first full swap is free every day, which means that you have 300 kilometers of daily range free of charge.
Overall, the experience was unique and after being a promoter of microcars in the city, I now had the chance to see why these vehicles might be the way to go when it comes to commuting in a busy city.
And I truly believe that one day, more people will be driving on their way to work in one of these, rather than a traditional, one ton+ car.
Any thoughts?