Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Etc., EV/Plug-in
Ecooter - the bizarre new Chinese electric car that shall not be named in polite company
So, who can read Chinese? There are a heap of photos of the new Ecooter (gesundheit!) electric commuter vehicle on this page, but all of the text is in Chinese. Thankfully, the China Post has some information on the four-wheeled, one-person enclosed EV on this page. From there, we learn that the vehicle, unveiled today by the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), is a concept that is "designed to create a driving trend in urban societies." We know its electrically-powered, but if you're looking for more details, please hold. The Ecooter will be on display at the 2007 EICMA International Cycling Exposition in Milan, Italy next month, according to the Taiwan News.
I am pretty sure there's a problem with the China Post's English, because it says, "The ITRI will continue to develop automotive electric motors and energy-intensive battery systems to be installed in the vehicle's wheels, in an effort to simplify its construction." I highly doubt engineers would place the batteries in the wheels, but then again, there's not a lot of tradition going on in the Ecooter in the first place.There a video of the Ecooter parking in an unimaginably tight space after the jump. Smart fortwo, eat your heart out.
[Source: China Post, h/t to Domenick]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
detroit9000 11:35AM (10/17/2007)
It's like a crappy version of the Nissan Pivo 2.
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Mort 11:57AM (10/17/2007)
Three wheels allow manufacturers to circumvent air-bags and crash tests. They don't want a four wheel vehicle to get waivers, because then people would buy them and that would make Exxon very angry.
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GoodCheer 1:04PM (10/17/2007)
Actually this thing has 4 wheels, which means it would be subject to emissions and crash standards, which means it will never come to America (at least until it drops a wheel).
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Kardax 1:12PM (10/17/2007)
My Chinese is pretty rough, but the article indicates Europe is their first foreign target; they didn't state any plans to bring this to the U.S.
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Sebastian 2:53PM (10/17/2007)
@Kardax -
Thanks. I've asked the Chinese Autoblog folks (http://chinese.autoblog.com/) for help. I'll update this post if they find anything good.
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Rick 3:00PM (10/17/2007)
Don't get the 'named in polite company' jab? What's wrong with ecooter?
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Domenick 4:53PM (10/17/2007)
Rick: Nothing wrong with the name, Ecooter. Everyone should have their own Ecooter. It looks cozy inside.
I want an Ecooter. ^_^
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Bill 4:59PM (10/17/2007)
Didn't I see this in a Woody Allen movie?
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Sebastian 5:32PM (10/17/2007)
Rick -
I know the focus should be on the "eco" part, mixed with scooter (I'm guessing). But I'll let you guess which one of these
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooter
might cause some to say the name ecooter with a sly wink
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Rick 9:40AM (10/18/2007)
Sebastian, I kinda thought that about the word minus E, but it was so close to Scooter and Cooties that I didn't think anyone would be reminded of the other word that is rarely heard the past decade.
I get it, but I don't see it really applying, if that makes sence.
on topic- That thing looks silly.
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Tim 2:04PM (10/18/2007)
Unstable platform. 2 front wheels are more stable when cornering or breaking.
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davamaniac1 2:33PM (10/18/2007)
It needs to be more tear-drop shaped especially in the back end for there to be a real interest in it, the design is half ugly.
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mdm-adph 3:34PM (10/18/2007)
Wow -- it even kinda looks like a cowry shell. Someone's having a laugh somewhere in China (hopefully).
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Dean 2:22AM (10/20/2007)
Some stuff I think interesting from the original post
1. this is a concept (duh...)
2. the cover is made of fiber glass
3. seats 2 like motorcycle, but the backseat space is very small
4. controls on the steering wheel mimic motorcycle controls
5. has 3 displays, the center is the nav system. the two on the sides replace rear view mirrors
6. the nav system also has a feature to prevent the ecooter from slowly moving onto the next lane when the driver's dozing off.
7. extremely small turning circle
8. no window, no AC
9 on 10/18 it's going to Milan for eicma2007
http://www.eicma.it/moto/en/
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bowtothax 8:33PM (10/23/2007)
a "cooter" is a slang term for a ladies private area... the one located downtown.
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alan 8:34PM (10/23/2007)
I think they should drop the "e" and just call it cooter!
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Sarah 8:34PM (10/23/2007)
Turns out that my friends' husband was getting some ecooter. I think that was the basis of their divorce...
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Robert Stout 9:03PM (10/23/2007)
To me, there is a big fuss over nothing except the car is electric. This type of car, almost identical, was in France about 1955/56.
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Isabel Dennis 9:05PM (10/23/2007)
By far, the ugliest thing I've ever seen. Smash it like a bug.
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dan 9:41PM (10/23/2007)
Our lawyer driven society ruins all this sort of fun. I used to live in downtown St. Louis only 1.2 miles from work. This would have been a blast if it could hit 35-40 mph.
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