EQUIPMENT
/ALTERNATIVE
“Rickshaw” ON BATTERIES
VAZ CONTINUES TO WORK ON ELECTRIC CARS
TEXT / SERGEY MISHIN
This environmentally friendly machine can serve the sanatoriums, recreation areas, indoor parks, sports and exhibition complexes. In a word, those places where a small transport is needed, and the harmful exhaust of an internal combustion engine is unacceptable.
The closest relative to the Rickshaw is the compact Golf electric car, designed for sports of the same name. The new machines used the same units, but the layout has been significantly redesigned. To exclude slipping on the hills, the electric motor was moved from the front axle to the rear one - “Rickshaw” can be safely called “classic”. The battery pack was located in the base and lowered to the very bottom, under the feet of riders. The car became compact, the center of gravity noticeably decreased and at the same time the seats rose. Now the passengers of the Rickshaw are looking at the world from a pedestrian's height, which, of course, is more pleasant than “sitting on the pavement”.
The machine is designed for four adults. In the initial draft version, the rear seats were "facing" each other, sideways to the direction of movement. But during the landing, due to the limited width of the machine, they had to be deployed along. As a result, we got two double sofas, standing backs to each other.
To protect the crew from rain or sun, a windshield and a folding awning (in the future, automatic) are used. Since now the “Rickshaw” must drive around not only during the day and not along the spacious golf courses, it was equipped with car attributes - headlights, taillights and even a wiper. Only the exhaust pipe and the filler neck do not need him. He will “refuel” during a night's rest from a household electrical outlet.
To operate such a machine is easy and simple - at the disposal of the driver, as in any electric car, only a steering wheel and two pedals.
ALL REPRESENTED
SKETCHES - AUTHOR IDEAS
AND DEVELOPMENT
Vladimir Pleshanov.
