[acsinuk (OP)]

That ratio of 4 kW motor to 200 cc engine is OK for a 3 wheel tuk-tuk but for a city runabout micro-car we need at least 8 kW motor with 10kWh battery.   There is still nothing available in England that meets my specification.  What is wrong with the government, they keep funding research at universities like Notts but not using their knowledge to manufacture the result.  No wonder China is so far ahead of us??

[Bored chemist]

What is wrong with the government, they keep funding research at universities like Notts but not using their knowledge to manufacture the result. 

Did it occur to you that the govt is not a car maker?

So, presumably, you meant something like  "what is wrong with car makers- the government has paid for the research, yet they are not making exactly the sort of Car that I want".
Well, the answer to that is probably capitalism.

[alancalverd]

If the government used taxpayers' money to directly fund the building of an Actual Product that people want, that would be Socialism and therefore a Bad Thing. Unlike giving taxpayers' money to Tory Party supporters to run "track and trace in name only", import defective PPE, float a bogus ferry company with no ships, and so forth, which is called Prudent Conservatism and therefore a Good Thing.

[CliffordK]

It has been a little while since I've thought about electric vehicles. But, my plan was to have an EV with a range of say 100 miles around the city. 

Then when one wanted to go out of town, attach a generator trailer as a ranger extender.

Have the generator capable of output of approximately half the typical freeway driving power consumption.  So you still drain the battery during your trip, but extend the range by about 2x.  And, if you wished, you could stop for a couple of hours, recharge, then keep going.

[alancalverd]

Problem is your limited speed when towing a loose-coupled trailer, and the fun of reversing it uphill into a parking space. Plus you have to go home and collect the trailer any time you want to drive more than 50 miles. 

[wolfekeeper]

I don't think there are any commercially viable lithium deposits in the UK.

The UK is unusually varied, geologically, and yes:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-54188071

I doubt that a hybrid is worth it for you. If you need to do 200 miles, get a full electric car with a 150 mile range, do a full charge before you leave and do a rapid charge along the way to get the remaining 50 miles. Rapid chargers give you around 250 miles/per hour of added range, so you'd only have to stop for quarter of an hour, in a ~4 hour journey.

Hybrids have extra maintenance issues and are less reliable.

[acsinuk (OP)]

We need a 10 to 30 kW permanent magnet all electric car with no gearbox using a 15kWh battery for going around our clean air cities. 
Out of town we could possibly tow a generator or better still install the generator as a boot attachment or even on a roof rack.  Still no sign of any English micro-electric basic city car yet.  Where are the venture capital people hiding.  They are really about to miss out on a great opportunity.

[alancalverd]

The venture capital guys are happily building electric and hybrid cars that people actually want, but nobody has enough money to install the electricity supply we will need to replace the internal combustion engine. That would not provide a good return on capital.

[acsinuk (OP)]

We need to design an affordable electric city runabout which we can get built in India at a competitive price.  This will reduce our dependence on China and the far east where English is not the normal language of choice.
Easier to explain to engineers what the desired mods are to perfect the design later.

[Bored chemist]

This will reduce our dependence on China and the far east where English is not the normal language of choice.

But increase it in India where English is not the normal language of choice.

We need to design an affordable electric city runabout which we can get built in India at a competitive price. 

Do you really think that nobody in India can design one?
Which is a bigger market for "an affordable electric city runabout", India or the UK?

[alancalverd]

Tata, Mahindra and Maruti already produce electric cars in India, ranging from medium family cars to city runabouts. You can also get electric tuk-tuks but they are a bit expensive .

English may not be the language of choice for any given family, but with 23 officially recognised languages and possibly 1000 distinct dialects, it is the language of business.

[acsinuk (OP)]

Thanks Alan,
So which car can I buy that meets my specification and is permitted to drive on our roads??  I keep looking but all I get is import agencies recommendations.. 
I want to buy an electric city runabout car here in England out of a showroom.  But where??.

[Bored chemist]

I keep looking but all I get is import agencies recommendations.. 

That's like complaining that you want a Maserati, but don't want a "foreign" one.

[alancalverd]

Thanks Alan,
So which car can I buy that meets my specification and is permitted to drive on our roads??  I keep looking but all I get is import agencies recommendations.. 
I want to buy an electric city runabout car here in England out of a showroom.  But where??.

https://www.goingreen.co.uk/

[acsinuk (OP)]

Thanks Alan, but I was really looking for a locally made micro-mini city runabout with a 10 to 20 kW permanent magnet motor and Lithium ion 10 to 15 kWh battery.   The Chinese are using exactly that in their motorbikes see
https://www.evokemotorcycles.com/urban-classic
What I want is some company here; to fit this power unit into a tiny UK car...

[Bored chemist]

What I want is some company here...

Why?
What's wrong with having it made in France or India or wherever?

[alancalverd]

Traitor.

[CliffordK]

The BMW I3 REX checks most of the boxes.



The original ones had a 60 Ah battery capable of about 72 miles.  New ones have a 120 Ah battery  capable of 126 miles.

The car is designed around being full electric, but the "REX" motor is somewhat of an add-on.  0.7L engine with a 9L fuel tank.

US models had limits put on the amount of fuel that could be used, but there are software hacks that would allow drivers to determine when to kick in the motor, and to open the whole fuel tank.

The price tag isn't bargain basement, but there should be some used 2014 cars hitting the market with the original 60 AH battery pack.  The battery pack will be slightly degraded, but should still get the OP around for his daily commute.

I'd be surprised if there aren't some Chinese/Indian/Japanese clones designed for their domestic markets, but one still has issues with the price of the battery pack.

[alancalverd]

All very true but

1. BMW don't manufacture it in Britain

2. The i3 is precisely the car that my neighbor owns but doesn't use because the bike is quicker for short journeys to the office and she doesn't fancy sitting around unaccompanied at a motorway charging station in the middle of the night for a long journey!

It is however terrific fun to drive, and with sufficient range to get to the airport and thus negate the entire point.

700cc is plenty for cruising at 50 mph and you can always carry a jerrycan with another 25 liters of fuel, which makes it almost a practical car, if somewhat overweight.

[CliffordK]

There are UK cars, but I'm not convinced a Sinclair would fit the bill, but a lithium battery might do wonders for an old EV.

700cc is plenty for cruising at 50 mph and you can always carry a jerrycan with another 25 liters of fuel, which makes it almost a practical car, if somewhat overweight.

I think the REX was originally designed to automatically kick in at 20% charge.  But there are hacks allowing a driver to choose to start if they wish below 80% charge. 

So, for the most part, one is never driving only on REX power, and should be able to reach freeway speeds.  If one is planning a 100+ mile trip, just fire up the REX at 80%, and drive until the tank is empty, and refill (or like you said, carry a couple gallon can in the "frunk"...  or is it a "f-oot" in the UK?  I'd like to see a purpose made auxiliary tank plumbed into the main tank with a transfer pump, preferably removable, but also with some crash provisions.