Warning light that time forgot (well the Internet did anyway)

[Eddie Honda]

I'm sorry you in the British Isles haven't been exposed to some of the real low-quality autoshite that's been made in the U.S. of A.

 

Au contraire...

 

This gem popped-up on the RTÉ Archive the other day http://www.rte.ie/archives/2016/0905/814353-irelands-first-electrically-powered-car/

 

If the Player doesn't work in your area, I've grabbed the HLS packets. Happy chod spotting.

 

 

 

The first electrically powered plug-in car goes on sale in Ireland.

We’ve had electric milk floats, we’ve had electric bread vans, but this is the first all electric motor car to go on sale in Ireland.

The 2-seater car will set you back £5,900. For commuters looking to avoid the spiralling petrol costs, this may be the answer. According to Commuter Vehicles Ireland, the company selling the vehicle in Ireland, you will get the equivalent of 177 miles per gallon if you use off-peak electricity. 

The car is run by four batteries which are powered from an outlet at the side of the car that can be plugged into an ordinary domestic socket. Six hours of charging will yield forty miles on the road. So the car is best suited to short journeys.

The car has no gears, just a forward and reverse switch, and two pedals, one to accelerate the other to brake. The top speed is 40 miles per hour. As there is no danger of speeding, sellers of the car say that the insurance costs will be 25% less than a standard car. The body of the car is made of fibreglass and the chassis of non-rust aluminium. At present the car is being imported from America by Commuter Vehicles Ireland who are pushing the drive for electric vehicles. There are hopes that the car will be manufactured in Ireland. 

An RTÉ News report by Caroline Erskine broadcast on 8 September 1981.

 

I've shoved the figure in a calculator and it 5,900 IEP, would be approx €22,500 in today's money  . Whilst looking in the Indo earlier, I noticed a new Ford Fiesta is about €13k. That's some expensive shite.

[vulgalour]

The inside looks like an early Dr Who set.

[forddeliveryboy]

Seems  there are various ways to jacknife a bus

  

 

Hope he had a warning light to tell him what had happened.

 

 

 

To be boringinly sensible disc brakes are lighter. It'd only do 28mph with drums.

Drums may be a little heavier (tho not by much) but they run freely with no dragging, so good for low-powered things.

[Pillock]

Aaaah, of course; bendy bus warning light.

I thought it was to warn of an accordion player on board.

[62 Austin]

Au contraire...

 

This gem popped-up on the RTÉ Archive the other day 

 

I've shoved the figure in a calculator and it 5,900 IEP, would be approx €22,500 in today's money  . Whilst looking in the Indo earlier, I noticed a new Ford Fiesta is about €13k. That's some expensive shite.

 

________________________

 

Great detective work, Eddie! Also good work calling into question the high price. On youtube there are a lot of clips about these Commutacars. One guy tried off-roading a short distance in a cornfield. Another driver reported a disc brake came OFF with sudden braking(broke its bracket).      

                                   

                                   Picture from youtube. I tried to make a link, but the whole video came over.

                                   Car doesn't show up until 8 minutes in, then there's a somewhat terrifying ride through a farmyard.  

 

 

Vulgalour -- It does look like Early Dr. Who. The whole point was to look shockingly futuristic back in 1974/1975...hence the rows of hi-tech-looking gadgets on the instrument board, and the exterior design. Some American spotted that one of the Star Trek movies used a bunch of little repair and service shuttles at a space station that looked like these but were yellow and black.

[62 Austin]

Only two questions - 1, do any still exist? And 2, how much would it cost to ship one? They are AWESOME

Are you serious? If someone had a couple for sale in the next county, would you drive over for a look? They sold over 4,000 of these things from 1974-1981 as the Citicar and Commutacar. Wikipedia says they live on as the Kewet and Buddy in Norway, as recently as 2013.

 

Use'n 'em for a "dinghy" for 1 of those huge motor-bus homes would actually make sense. Too small for a golf cart

 

Have you ever seen the bumper-badge that says If You Don't Like My Driving Get Off The Feckin Sidewalk!? That would make sense, too. 

[62 Austin]

There's a red one for sale on ebay in Orange, Connecticut. An early 1975 Citicar version...with a more primitive instrument panel than the Irish one. No bendy bus warning light, but it does have a rocker switch marked DEF. 3,295 original miles. "Worked when last driven". Needs new batteries. No title.

 

Opening bid $1850, no bids, auction ends in 2 days, $2350 buy-it-now price.

 

I haven't seen it myself or met the owner, who's willing to get rid of it 'cause he needs the garage space, etc., etc.