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Automotive

Ford’s electric Comuta Concept – 43 years after its debut

By Mike Hanlon
March 12, 2011
Ford’s electric Comuta Concept – 43 years after its debut
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It's extraordinary what pops up in the in-box each week. Those with a keen eye for fashion will note that the picture is from the sixties – the Ford Comuta was a concept presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 1967. It was all-electric, had a top speed of 40 mph and a range of 40 miles, and that was 40 years ago. The upcoming electric Ford Focus has more than double the range (160 km) and double the top speed of 84 mph (135 km/h), but surely the Comuta is worth digging out of the archives for a second look. With modern motors and advanced controllers and high density batteries, the Comuta might be quite suitable for European cities such as London where road speeds haven't progressed much since the horse and cart.

The photo is part of an exploration of its photographic archives which is being shared by Ford of Great Britain, which is celebrating its centenary this year.

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AutomotiveFordElectric VehiclesGeneva Motor Show 2011
22 comments
Mike Hanlon
Mike Hanlon
As a photojournalist, Mike’s work has been published in a dozen languages across 20+ countries. He has edited or managed over 75 different print publications, each with a different target audience: sports, automotive, advertising, marketing, design, ad infinitum. Mike has been working in the internet for more than 25 years and was the veteran of five internet start-ups before founding New Atlas in 2002.

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22 comments
Facebook User
I\'m happy that im new to this website.... best regards
Alien
Probably the original Comuta wouldn\'t comply with modern safety requirements but the concept seems just right for today\'s city traffic with enough space for delivering kids to school or wherever, plus room for a bit of shopping. Ford should update this, change the batteries and drive systems for modern technology and then this could really be a success!
mg
Britain used to have acceptable speeds, in the 70\'s they restricted them as the price of oil quadrupled overnight. They never returned the temporary speed limit (70mph) back to what it was.

At no point is speed dangerous, the vehicle maybe dangerous, the road conditions may be dangerous, the person tailgating you maybe dangerous, the person stepping in front of you may be dangerous, but as far as i know speed isnt. Otherwise we would all be dead when the sun came up.

As long as the road-surface is maintained, the vehicle is maintained and its driver is competant its possible to travel saftely at over 200mph. More deaths occur from people eating too much than will ever die in car accidents. More deaths occur from driving to slow than will ever occur from driving too fast. Most children are killed by people in 4x4 reversing over them in drive-ways or schools. Youre talking 0-10mph is the most dangerous speed for a vehicle to travel at in the world if you wish to identify it.
DaddyHoggy
@mg - either quote your sources or have the finger of \"making it up\" pointed at you. I never read such nonsense in a long time - you\'re clearly a troll.
A quick search indicates: http://www.nhs.uk/news/2010/02February/Pages/obesity-death-records-jump.aspx
which states 8450 people in the UK died from obesity related illness (from 1995 to 2006) - so 11 years = average of 748 per year
However, according to: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=1208, in 2006, 3142 people died in Road Accidents in the UK.
Risso
I thought that maybe the above comment was from Jeremy Clarkson with another ridiculous justification for unacceptable road behaviour but even he would not write such trash.
edwardpapp
Great concept and it should be revived in modern form...bring back the mini skirt worn by the mmodel while you\'re at it!!
dsloan48
This was a valid concept then and is a valid concept now . . . give us an inexpensive electric for our local driving . . . PLEASE
jad
I\'m afraid I\'m not up to speed with safety statistics, but I am familiar with the fashion of the sixties. Thanks for the refresher.
Facebook User
Mentioning Clarkson and Tiny cars in London,Why couldn\'t we have something like this available now, or the Peel Car He was able to drive TO work,and even AT work inside TV Centre?!
Terotech
Mg, Actually the temporary speed limit during the oil crisis was 50mph and was removed when things improved. Ian Colley
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