Japanese company Takayanagi is taking orders for its first one person electric vehicle, the Miluira. Due to be shipped in March 2011, the retro-styled all-electric car has a range of only 35 km on a full charge, a maximum speed of 37 mph (60km/h) and a rather lengthy recharge time of 12 hours.
The Miluira references the past in more than styling with a lead-acid battery chosen over modern alternatives like lithium-ion as the power source. This helps explains the uninspiring performance specs, which incidentally puts it just ahead of the 110 year old Lohner-Porsche EV (which also used lead acid batteries) in terms of top speed.
At a shade over 7 feet long, the Miluira is definitely made for one and with a price tag of JPY6.3 million (US$75,000) you could say it lacks in the bang for buck department - especially if you compare it to the likes of the US$32,780, five seater Nissan LEAF or Tata's proposed US$9000 Indica Vista.
Cute? Yes. Practical? Not very.
Takayanagi via: Akihabaranews
