Small / economy car deathwatch: we've passed "peak econobox" again

[Fat Charlie]

I don't want to have only two pedals until I'm in an electric. Given the limitations of gassers and anchormatics, I'll make do with 3 until I get a Model 4 (When Tesla goes downmarket from the 3).

[niky]

Originally Posted by Fat Charlie

I don't want to have only two pedals until I'm in an electric. Given the limitations of gassers and anchormatics, I'll make do with 3 until I get a Model 4 (When Tesla goes downmarket from the 3).

I've driven three-pedal electrics.

It's fun, actually. And allows you to get some climbing ability even with a smaller, weaker motor.

[MetroMPG]

A factory-made EV, Niky?

[niky]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

A factory-made EV, Niky?

Nope. Conversion. Most factory EVs carry pretty powerful motors.

People love to moan about the price of EVs, but when you consider a Leaf basically has the same performance as a turbocharged Civic... which is still equivalent to that of "sports trim" models nowadays... it's pretty obvious that they're ticking off the price-performance metric decently.

The Leaf is slow compared to the likes of the Tesla, but it's still powerful enough not to need extra gears.

But if we want really cheap EVs, gearboxes make sense.

This one was a Kia Picanto (Basically Chevy Spark size) with the motor hooked up to the factory five speed. Peppy, fun, little number. Just around 60-70 hp, but that instant torque made it feel more potent than the numbers suggest. Could drive it around in third gear all day, or use second for quick take-offs, or first for climbing steep grades.

[MetroMPG]

Another one bites the dust!

A Fiat executive has said that the next gen (2020) Fiat 500 will be EV-only.

Fiat in the U.S. could not reveal any more information about the Centoventi or its production intent, saying it’s just a concept. But FCA chief marketing officer Olivier François told Top Gear something quite different: that it previews the strategy behind an all-new Fiat 500e due just a year from now—one that will be electric-only.

Source: https://www.greencarreports.com/news...utive-confirms

An EV-only option will not meaningfully reverse the 500's sales plummet in the U.S.:

Fiat 500 sales

2012: 43,772
2013: 36,375
2014: 33,708
2015: 25,084
2016: 15,587
2017: 12,685
2018: 5,370


http://carsalesbase.com/us-car-sales...fiat/fiat-500/

You just have to look at what happened to the Smart Fortwo's sales when it went EV-only.

Ciao, 500!

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by niky

I've driven three-pedal electrics.

It's fun, actually. And allows you to get some climbing ability even with a smaller, weaker motor.

Did you resort to some clutch-kick? Well, since the torque of an electric motor is supposed to be delivered in a more constant way, I could guess a clutch-kick wouldn't be so effective as it might be in an ICE-powered vehicle.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

A Fiat executive has said that the next gen (2020) Fiat 500 will be EV-only.

(Snip)

look at what happened to the Smart Fortwo's sales when it went EV-only.

Ciao, 500!

The new Fiat 500 EV will be a real EV with a 200 mile range instead of a C.A.R.B. compliance car. That should help sales.

(The current Fiat 500e has a 82 mile range and the Smart ED is only 58 miles.)

[rmay635703]

In some areas more than “help” is needed

[niky]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Did you resort to some clutch-kick? Well, since the torque of an electric motor is supposed to be delivered in a more constant way, I could guess a clutch-kick wouldn't be so effective as it might be in an ICE-powered vehicle.

I'm not sure it would have done anything. The controller in the car won't let you "free rev" in neutral.

Given how fast an electric motor can spin up, actually... doing it that way might be catastrophic for the clutch.

[Piotrsko]

The spinning flywheel does impart extra energy. In the Ranger, it just fries the clutch, leaving you with that burnt friction smell.