Romet 4E Neighborhood Electric Vehicle Prototype Unveiled [Two-Seater Electric Vehicle To Retail For $8,300]

Posted on TFTS by J. Angelo Racoma on Wednesday, 27. October 2010 under: Cars, Green Technology

There are EVs and there are EVs. While the buzz is mostly about the upcoming releases of the Nissan LEAF and Chevy Volt, some auto manufacturers are also coming up with their own versions of the electric. This one by Polish brand Romet Motors is to be marketed as a “neighborhood electric vehicle” or NEV.

The Romet 4E prototype is dubbed as such because of its stature and capacity. With two seats and an almost non-existent boot space, you won’t be able to fit golf bags in here. But that’s the point. The purpose of “neighborhood” EVs is mostly for city and town driving, bringing persons from point A to B without much fanfare. Romet is, after all, known for its motorcycles, scooters and ATVs.

The Romet 4E has a capacity of 10 kWh and a combined motor rating of 4 kW. The NEV can reach top speeds of 28 mph and maxes out at 62 miles. If Romet decides to mass-market the 4E, prices will likely be in the range of $8,370 to $9,765 equivalent in Euro. With overly congested Western European streets these days, that’s a bargain.

Funny thing: 4E means “Electric, Economic, Ecologic, Easy.” Kind of reminds us of another pioneering diminutive product called the Eee PC.

Source

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The yellow and purple Audi A2 car took around seven hours to complete the 600-kilometre (372-mile) stretch, even had the heating on.
Driver Mirko Hannemann, the chief of DBM Energy, drove the distance at 90 km/h (55 miles per hour) on average, had the heat on and was able to whisk around a few more miles in the city. When the A2 electric finished, it still had 18% of the initial electric charge in the battery.
　
It has a lithium-metal-polymer battery. DBM Energy, the company that built the battery and electric motors into the Audi A2, said the battery would function for 500,000 kilometres.
　
A representative of the car said the Audi still featured all the usual creature comforts such as power steering, air-conditioning and even heated seats as well, so it was not like the car was especially made for long distance record attempts
　
The German engineers said their car was special because the battery was not installed inside the luggage area, but under the luggage area, meaning the full interior space of the car was still available
　
The battery, based on what DBM Energy calls the KOLIBRI AlphaPolymer Technology, comes with 97 percent efficiency and can be charged at virtually every socket. Plugged into a high-voltage direct-current source, the battery can be fully loaded within 6 minutes
The young inventor couldn’t give an exact price for his battery — he said that was dependent on scaling effects — but vowed it wouldn’t just be more powerful, but in the end also cheaper than conventional lithium ion batteries.
　
What’s more important, the technology which made the trip possible is available today.
　
German Economics Minister Rainer Bruederle, who subsidized the drive, said it showed electric cars are not utopian but really work.

Romet 4E Neighborhood Electric Vehicle Prototype Unveiled [Two-Seater Electric Vehicle To Retail For $8,300]

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