The "Personal Light Vehicle" or PLV is designed to be a new 'Quasi-Standard' for affordable, individual motorized mobility.
A PLV is not a car - at least not as per EU Vehicle Class M1.
Instead it's meant to be the "mininmum viable product" of a vehicle - even if that means it's "not legally a car" but a superlight vehicle as per Class L2e or L5e.
The core paradigm is to design and build the most affordable, compact yet safe means of transport that is road-legal.
The PLV is designed to be the counter-development to the flood of Super Useless Vehicles that are inherently wasteful beyond reason and rationale and are mostly being purchased for ego reasons and rarely out of practical reason or necessity.
As such it should put efficiency and minimalism first to the maximum legally possible extent.
The PLV needs to be economically priced and within reason.
- Supercars in the price ranges of € 400.000 and € 111.000 are completely out of the question and comletely fail at this goal.
- Economy isn't solely measured by fuel efficiency, but must account the Total Cost Of Ownership (TCO) from the inital purchase to salvage with all consumeables and maintenance costs in between.
- A target price half if not lower than the cheapest car is desireable.
- Base price should be at € 5.000 [as of 06.2022 - adjustments per inflation are allowed if unavoidable].
- Economy isn't solely measured by fuel efficiency, but must account the Total Cost Of Ownership (TCO) from the inital purchase to salvage with all consumeables and maintenance costs in between.
This needs to be clarified amidst the need to make it a quasi-standard.
Depending on the market and desired classification different options may apply.
These definitions exist mainly to allow for a distinction that may be necessary for legal reasons.
For consisten Terminology we'll hereby define the following types:
This basically is classified as either an "electric wheelchair" and thus will be equiped and locked down to remain license- insurance- and tax-free, being regulated like an "enclosed bike".
- This means a top speed of 6km/h in the EU & Germany.
This should fulfill the EU vehicle class L2e and be classified as a "three-wheeled, enclosed scooter", only requiring an easy to obtain driving permit an insurance plate.
- These should offered at 25km/h.
- Like with existing scooters, these can be limited by the ignition system like in commercial scooters.
Like PLV 2, but maximum Speed is 45km/h.
Like PLV 2, but considered a "Trike" due to using an engine with >50cm³ or 4kW & being faster than 45km/h.
- These may legally fall under motorcycle licenses A1, A2 or A depending on whether these have <15kW, 15-35kW or >35kW total output. These are based off the L5e classification and thus are limited by 15kW engine output.
Like PLV 4, but with engine Output limited to 35kW.
Like PLV 4, but with engine Output exceeding 35kW.
These would be any other trike design.
These would be any other compact vehicle trying to fill that nieche.
- Whilst no minimum nor maximum dimensions will be decalred, the core principles of the PLV concept demand efficient use of space and materials.
- However sticking with Kei Car Dimensions should offer a good hint at the desireable dimensions.
- This means a lenght of 2,80-3,40m, a width of 1,00-1,48m and a height of less than 2,00m.
- However sticking with Kei Car Dimensions should offer a good hint at the desireable dimensions.
- Legally mandated minimums and features have to be included.
- It must have an enclosed cabin that makes it safe and comfortable to drive all-year around in common weather in Germany.
- A "canopy" that also acts as door and either folds to the roadside or is being pushed/pulled to the front or rear is desireable.
- Similar to the Messerschmitt KR200
- A "canopy" that also acts as door and either folds to the roadside or is being pushed/pulled to the front or rear is desireable.
- It must have 1 + 2 seatting, allowing up to 3 adults (incl. driver) [@ 2m height, 125kg weight each] to be transported safely and with reasonable comfort.
- It must be as accessible as possible.
- Accessibility features should be accounted for.
- It should use a 4/5-point belt harness up front and 3-point belts at the rear so that wearing a helmet is not legally mandated.
To allow the most efficient design, a "Tricycle" form with two wheels in the back and 1 steerable wheel in the front is desireable.
If technically possible, it's recommended to have a "mid engine" just barely before the rear axle and positioned as low as technically possible.
If the vehicle is having direct drive electrical motors integrated at the wheels, said position would be recommended for the batteries instead.
This is done to both take use of the aerodynamical causality that results in a trunk as well as increase both stability and handling.
Since the PLV needs to be useable as a fully-fledged car replacement by most people, it needs to be useable as such.
- Besides the driver, it must also support the following load configurations:
- at least 1 210L ISO steel drum barrel filled at capacity with water = 225kg gross weight @ 215l total volume
- at least 1 Passenger + 1 120l steel drum barrel filled at capacity with water = 130kg gross weight @ 125l total volume
- at least 1 Passenger + 2 60l steel drum barrels filled at capacity with water = 65kg gross weight & 65l total volume each.
- 2 Passengers and 1 25l canister.
- 2 Passengers and 2 10l canisters. Driver and Passengers are hereby defined at 2m height and 125kg weight to allow both for safety margins and more realistic load than 75kg @ 1,75m.
- Alina Racu et. al. "Clean and lean - Battery metals demand from electrifying passenger transport"
- Calling for mandating smaller and lighter EVs in lieu of SUVs via EU Efficency Regulations.
- Roland Jeske, amidst his extensive input in a very long and branched twitter conversation.
- Kei Car as an incentive towards smaller and more efficient vehicles.
- VW L1 for the general design.
- In fact, the VW XL1 is just a facelifted VW Scooter with a turbocharged Diesel engine.
- At only 200 built, it's basically just an absurdly expensive showcase of "German Engineering" that is road-legal.
- So it basically it an EcoHipster alternative to a rare Porsche.
- At only 200 built, it's basically just an absurdly expensive showcase of "German Engineering" that is road-legal.
- Still the low drag and excellent fuel mileage is impressive and noteworthy.
- In fact, the VW XL1 is just a facelifted VW Scooter with a turbocharged Diesel engine.
- Peel P50, a 49cm³ two-stroke powered Cabin Scooter which is known as the smallest production car.
- Not to be confused with the Jeremy Clarkson P45, which is more of a UK road-legal shitpost than serious vehicle.
- L'Œuf électrique, an electric car designed in 1938 and build in 1942, notable for it's big round bubble design and namesake "egg"-shape.
- Messerschmitt KR200
- A post-WW2 "cabin motorcycle" that reused much of the old stock of Messerschmitt parts, like the transparent canopy top and "steeringh wheel" from a fighter plane.
- Several small vehicles, like the GECO 8.0 which is a highway-legal car in Germany,
- Motorized Trike-Scooters with cabins, may it be micro-sized boxtruck, Pick-Up or enclosed cabin scooters like the UMI M3 CITY GO.
- Microlino
- Basically a remake of the BMW Isetta that is 'legally not a car' but a light vehicle as per EU Class L7e.
- It's kinda misunderstood as a "secondary or tetriary urban car" by testers from German Car Club ADAC.
- This market should not exist!
- It's kinda misunderstood as a "secondary or tetriary urban car" by testers from German Car Club ADAC.
- At an MSRP starting €17.690 and going up to over €22.690 as well as it's low-volume production it's not gonna have any major impact and will most likely only ending up scalped by collectors and fans of the original Isetta and maybe driven by the few people who want it.
- Basically a remake of the BMW Isetta that is 'legally not a car' but a light vehicle as per EU Class L7e.
- Krause Duo
- A GDR-made & discontinued 2+0 three-wheeled motor "wheelchair" with a soft-top and hand-crank in lieu of the kick-starter common with it's two-stroke M541 engine in later revisions which is legally considered a "scooter" in Germany today.
- Peraves ecomobile
- A"cabin motorcycle" with automatic extending and retracting stabilizer wheels which is remarkably comfortable
- as of now, only the electric variant is in production and being offered.
- It sadly seems to suffer from tipping-over issues unlike the original Version.
- as of now, only the electric variant is in production and being offered.
- A"cabin motorcycle" with automatic extending and retracting stabilizer wheels which is remarkably comfortable
- Carver One
- A tilting three-wheeler that is utilizing a banked turning system to make it drive more dynamically...
- Piaggio Ape
- An italian-made three-wheeler based off a 50cm³ single-cylinder 4-stroke or single cylinder Diesel engine.
- The 4-seater Calessino and the 400cm³ TM703 have been discontinued, and the latter one got replaced with the Porter NP6 which is a regular body-on-frame minitruck with 1,5l inline-4 Euro6 Diesel engine, supplemented with the three-wheeled MyMoover Scooter in the lower end, which is a 125cm³ single seater with 1+2 wheels and classified as small motorcycle.
- An italian-made three-wheeler based off a 50cm³ single-cylinder 4-stroke or single cylinder Diesel engine.
- Ellenator
- A patented conversion of small cars by swapping the rear axle for one with a wheelbase narrower than the diameter of the tires thus being legally considered "three-wheeled" (or rather seen as "twin-wheel" for legal & technical reasons) vehicle as per EC Vehicle Classification L5e as it's engine output has been limited to 15kW and it's speed to 90 km/h.
- This makes it legal to drive with a A1 class EU driving license which is available for people aged 16 and up.
- A patented conversion of small cars by swapping the rear axle for one with a wheelbase narrower than the diameter of the tires thus being legally considered "three-wheeled" (or rather seen as "twin-wheel" for legal & technical reasons) vehicle as per EC Vehicle Classification L5e as it's engine output has been limited to 15kW and it's speed to 90 km/h.
These may fulfill the nieches for some, but they are either quite crammed and thus less accessible and/or quite restricted to make them fulfill criteria like L2e & L5e vehicle classes without being unsellable expensive.
- Also a lot of these are discontinued
- Many have no chance of being re-certified as originally built under current safety requirements.
- Extensive re-engineering would be required that would only keep the original looks from the outside.
- Many have no chance of being re-certified as originally built under current safety requirements.
- NotJustBikes et. al. Why SUVs are bad
- Specifically pointing out the inefficiencies in terms of emissions, pricing and espechally space, reducing parking space and increase the need for space.