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That's sort of the mindset that we struggle to get over - how often do you give a lift to 3 drunk mates, what are the alternative options? We are too used to the convenience of Big Car, fits everything in. The other positive is that they are very small, so working towards less congestion and safer for cyclists & stray peds.
efb-
how often do you give a lift to 3 drunk mates
I have a 7 seater. It's used for ferrying family about (great to put the kids and grandparents in and go somewhere for the day) and going on camping trips. It mostly sits outside the house not moving. The cost per mile including the fixed costs is obscene but I'm happy to pay for the convenience. For going to work I cycle or get public transport. So it's more a case of if I'm not giving a lift to 3 drunk mates I don't drive at all.
very small, so working towards less congestion
I'm not convinced they make much difference. They still take up a lane and 7/8ths of the road capacity (sure they are shorter but you still need to leave how ever many metres behind them when moving in case they break suddenly).
safer for cyclists & stray peds
Are they? Is being hit by 500kg at 25mph very different to 2000kg at 25mph? I expect things like front end design and if you get knocked down or scoped up make a difference but I'd have thought even at 500kg that's enough momentum to be a problem. I just had a look for something about the Citroen Ami and pedestrian safety but couldn't find anything. Do you have a link?
jellybaby
I think they are cute but I don't see the point. All the sitting in queues of a proper 4/5 seater without the versatility of a 4/5 seater when you want to take the kids somewhere/give a lift to 3 drunk mates/transport something bigish/etc.
I'd rather have something like an electric BMW C1.