Microlino reboots bubble car with electric model

ZURICH — Two Swiss brothers are seeking to put their country back on the carmaking map by reviving a 1950s motoring classic with an electric twist.

Oliver and Merlin Ouboter have launched a new version of the micro car, modeled on BMW’s Isetta bubble car, this time with four wheels, not three.

The new Microlino replaces the old gasoline engine with a 12.5-kilowatt electric motor giving it a range of up to 143 miles and a top speed of 55 miles per hour.

Its light weight — 1093 pounds — and small size — 8.2 feet long — reduce the vehicle’s environmental impact and makes it easier to park in tiny spaces, said Oliver Ouboter, chief operating officer at Microlino AG.

“The idea was to create an alternative to conventional cars. The Microlino does that much better than bicycles — it’s weather protected, you have space for cargo, you can have two people sitting next to each other,” Ouboter told Reuters.

“Because it’s smaller than a conventional car it consumes less material to make it, and it has a smaller battery which means it uses less electricity,” his brother Merlin added. “So the ecological footprint is about a third of a conventional electric car.”

More than 35,000 reservations have been received for the Microlino, which is being built in Italy and costs upwards of 15,000 Swiss francs ($16,195).

Source: www.autoblog.com