i have read automotive engineers saying that a light, simple, plastic and aluminum electric car could be made for 5 to 10 thousand dollars, depending on if you need a top-up 10kw petrol auxiliary engine. there were preliminary designs done when the china/india market was thought to be primitive.

it's now clear the chinese and indians insist on mercedes s class, like the rest of us. i told chinese friends 15 years ago that if they remained on a bicycle culture, it would save endless trouble. they didn't listen, can't think why.

how many would buy such a car, no radio, no air conditioning, but also no trouble. just plug it in when ever you stop, city people don't need an auxiliary engine. almost as green as a bicycle, and 4 people ride dry.

how many? none. that's why no one is rushing to make them. or would you buy?

Um DEMOS....what does this have to do with ecology ??

ludwig, if everyone who could use such a car did just that, it would knock about 10-29% off our energy consumption. not elegant, but a relatively quick and practical way to do something without much help from canberra.

of course, the pollies could say such a car would come off badly in a collision with a range rover. then, instead of getting the range rovers off the road, they'd disallow this cheap greenish car. no profit in it,and fewer jobs.

Alright DEMOS I understand now. I think you need to substitute the word ‘ecology’ with ‘environment’, but no big deal.

I support the idea of minimalist cars. Motor scooters and motorised bicycles will no doubt come back into fashion. And the ever-popular bicycle will increase greatly in popularity.

But these things will basically have to wait until fuel prices cause people to take them up.

Some preparation can be done in the meantime, by companies who would produce this sort of thing. And some raising of fuel taxes and/or surcharges on fuel-guzzling larger vehicles would be in order to prompt people to take this sort of thing up before they absolutely have to.

Another idea, which I practice on an almost daily basis, is hybrid drive/rides. I drive about half way to work with the bicycle in the back of the car, and then ride the rest of the way…. a distance of about 12km driving and 12km riding. Works a charm!

ludwig, your drive/ride plan is a very good one, and should be encouraged- get a gold star on your windscreen signifying you won't drive in cbd, but get cheap rego in return. this is a guerrilla warfare response to climate crisis. not as a good as a concerted effort coordinated by government, but it may lead and/or shame the government into more action.

in the usa, cities and counties are way out in front of any national politician. only natural, mayors have to deal with mothers, senators have to deal with corporations. i presume your motivation is a mixture of health and convenience. getting commuters out of cars in large numbers will need more. economics will provide some, regulation the rest. but as our cities have been built around cars, an eco-car must be provided for the many people that are too dispersed for effective public transport.

I'd buy such a vehicle in a flash if it was available...especially for 5-10k...sounds too good to be true.

The other positive about electric vehicles is that the power generation is from a centralised source. This would make capture and storage technologies much more effective.

no radio = use an ipod
no air conditioning = open your window (especially if everyone is driving electric cars)

Bring it on!