Now this is an electric car I'd like to drive!

There's a new concept electric car on the road in England.  The Telegraph reports:

Currently code-named T27, this electric car is big enough to carry three people yet small enough to park head-on to the pavement – with three of them fitting into a single bay. However, its design is so abnormal it would look more at home in a children's cartoon, especially when you flip the front end forwards to get in.

Once the slack-jaw crowd disperses, you can settle yourself into the deceptively comfortable, wafer-thin seat that sits smack bang in the middle of things – just like in the McLaren F1. Two seats are nestled either side and can close down to give more storage space than a Mini with its rear bench folded.

Pull the canopy shut and light floods in like a greenhouse. Front and side visibility is first rate, but you need a keen eye to check what's tailing you via the four rear-facing mirrors – the lack of a traditional central one continually catches you out.

There's nothing too fancy about the knobs and dials on the dash and the motor starts with a conventional key. There's a small switch to select the only forward gear, then hit the throttle and the full force of 46lb ft of torque shoves you down the road at a smile-inducing lick. An audible whine accompanies you but so does your grin because this car is really good to drive. The central driving position is so flawless it's criminal this configuration isn't the law, and it allows you to feel every move of the sure-footed chassis underneath.

It's so slim compared with what else is on the road that you start thinking with a biker's brain. The smallest gaps in traffic become "lanes" that open up and tempt you, requiring massive restraint not to dive in.

Its electric power pack has enough juice to see you over 100 miles, 130 if your right foot is made of air. Energy is regenerated every time you slow down and the plug-in recharge takes four hours from flat to full.

. . .

The level of interest the T27 generated on our road test from every age group indicates it appeals to the masses as much as Henry Ford's Model T. And praise doesn't come much higher than that.

There's more at the link.

The car's just a concept at present, but apparently negotiations are in progress to manufacture it at an expected retail price in the region of US $11,000.  It certainly sounds like something that would interest me!  With a practical range of about 100 miles, it becomes a viable commuter even for a sprawling American city - and I like the compact design very much.  For dense urban traffic, particularly at non-highway speeds, there's a lot to be said for it.

Peter