What's the perfect solution to the over-sized cars and SUVs ? The Microlino Lite minicar, of course. Swiss company Micro just unveiled a production version of the Microlino Lite — an even smaller version of its Microlino microcar — this week at the Geneva Motor Show. It won't go faster than 28 mph, but it's the best solution to ditching cars altogether, and it might be coming to the U.S.
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Anyone with a motorcycle license from the age of 14 in some European countries can obtain it.
Plus, it's relatively inexpensive. The entry-level model starts at around €156 or $169 per month to lease, or a starting price of €17,999. With it, you'll enjoy a design directly inspired by the classic 1950s European minicar, the BMW Isetta. Pre-orders are available now with deliveries starting early this summer. The Microlino Lite minicar is available in two colors, Venice Blue and Berline Anthracite, with the electric vehicle being built at the Microlino factory in Turin, Italy.
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This may seem a bit ridiculous to those unfamiliar, but Europeans are definitely more comfortable with the concept of a micro-car, which is of course one of the reasons why the startup is making its debut there. However, Micro co-founder and CMO Merlin Oubotertold The Verge that the Microlino Lite minicar is eligible for registration in the US as a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV). The company hopes to have Microlinos in the States by the end of the year.
The new Lite version has a similar design to its bigger sibling and is 2.5m long, 1.47m wide and 1.5m high. Its weight is light, at just 600kg, while its maximum power is just 6kW (9kW peak), classifying it as an L6e, meaning you only need an AM moped license to drive it in Europe.
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The Microlino Lite mini car will feature a 5.5 kWh battery that will cover a distance of 100 km before needing to be charged – a larger 11 kWh battery pack will take you 177 km. The 5.5 kWh pack can be charged from 0 to 80 percent in around two hours with a 2.2 kW Type 2 charger, while the 11 kWh battery takes around four hours.
Source: electrek
