Hi Nikki,
I read your report on the EVie with some dismay . How did they manage to get it
all so wrong ? When the car was released in April we were told that the management team
of this company comprised of veterans from the automobile industry and this was the car
that was going to change the conceptions and negitivity held by the great british public
towards the electric car !
Alas it was not to be , sounds like the car has throughly under engineered using
as it does the existing gearbox from the C1 and not a dedicated final drive unit which would
have added some extra cost .
Anyone who knows anything about conventional gearboxes will tell you that
locking a box in one gear and then driving it around all day is going to result in fairly
rapid failure , and also a lot more heat and noise , the exception to this is those older type
boxes with fewer shifts and wider ratios and of course the Smart Car which has a totally
different construction more in keeping with a motorcycle gearbox !
Well another great british dream dissolved , but I am happy to tell you that I drove
the MiEv and the all electric Fiat 500 a couple of months ago in Monaco and both cars
performed perfectly, particularly the MiEv which is just so well engineered and stands the
chance of being available at an affordable price !