Zagato Volpe: Too Small Electric car goes on Sale

Nowadays, many people prefer electric car rather than a fuel car. Some are willingly opting electric cars to save environment from pollution while some are forced to go for electric car because of ever rising fuel prices. Whatever the reason may be, it is a fact that electric cars are in high demand. Numerous electric car manufacturing companies are bringing variety of electric cars with innovative concepts. Recently, an Italian automotive design company Zagato has designed the world’s smallest eco car, named Volpe. It is expected to go on sale by 2013 for €6,900 or $9,016.

Image Source: ecofriend.com

The world’s smallest electric car Volpe will measure only 2.2 meters in length, 1.5 meters in height, and 1 meter in width. It is small in size to such an extent that you can drive the car straight to your office and charge it at your desk. The Volpe’s body will be made of high-strength steel and stylish doors out of aluminum material. Doors are designed in such a way that they will open in a scissor-like fashion to allow the driver to park in crowded space and then exit very easily. Moreover, surprisingly this small car can fit two people. A passenger can be seated behind the driver just like on a motorcycle. This mini car is termed as 'quadricycle' i.e. people as young as 16 will be able to drive the car with a motorcycle licence.

The Zagato Volpe will enter the market in two versions: as an electric trolley and a hybrid. The electric trolley version will have a maximum speed of 48 km per hour and you will be able to drive the car up to 70 km without recharging it. In the hybrid version, the car will be equipped with a gas or petrol engines designed to recharge the electric motor. The car can travel at a maximum speed of 80 km per hour and without recharging, it can travel about 380 km. Most probably, both the versions will have standard lead batteries which can be fully charged in six hours.

The Zagato Volpe (both versions) will be equipped with 15-inch wheels, 155/60 rear tires and 135/70 front tires, disc brakes on all four wheels, audio system, power windows, central locking with remote control, air conditioning, and navigation system. As per Zagato, the Volpe has successfully passed all crash and safety tests as the manufacturer has incorporated some safety features like ABS and airbags. Emission rating is also quite impressive as it is expected that the hybrid version will emit only 35gm of carbon per kilometer of drive.

Volpe on the road video from youtube: