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Pure Electric Vehicles

Fiat is bringing a low-speed EV, the Topolino, to the U.S. market. (gift link below)

25 MPH top speed, 46 mile range, 2 seats, 8 foot long, 1,000 pounds - starting at $13,995.

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... and what are we Americans going to do with those?
Are they planning to compete with the overgrown golf carts trundling around Sun Belt retirement communities?
 
A friend came over and asked the son to pick her up later in the Tesla. Son gets most the way and notices only 5 miles of charge left and they don't know where a charge station is. The call sounded desperate, I thought they had an accident based on sighs on phone? Once I understood it was a charge issue I realized EV's have a side to them that's not as well exposed as it should be. Poor charge planning can wreak an otherwise mundane trip...
 
amper42 said:
A friend came over and asked the son to pick her up later in the Tesla. Son gets most the way and notices only 5 miles of charge left and they don't know where a charge station is. The call sounded desperate, I thought they had an accident based on sighs on phone? Once I understood it was a charge issue I realized EV's have a side to them that's not as well exposed as it should be. Poor charge planning can wreak an otherwise mundane trip...
Click to expand...
I've observed Teslas with dead batteries several times on the terrible stretch of I-95 between EWR and the GW Bridge. A true nightmare scenario.
 
amper42 said:
A friend came over and asked the son to pick her up later in the Tesla. Son gets most the way and notices only 5 miles of charge left and they don't know where a charge station is. The call sounded desperate, I thought they had an accident based on sighs on phone? Once I understood it was a charge issue I realized EV's have a side to them that's not as well exposed as it should be. Poor charge planning can wreak an otherwise mundane trip...
Click to expand...
Taking an electric car out with just a few miles left is like taking gasoline car out with an empty tank driving on fumes. This isn't "poor charge planning" it is just plain stupid.

Also, this story sounds funny. Tesla cars have alerts. As I recall if the battery charge is below 20% (yellow) 10% (red) or maybe it's 5% (red), I noted this in the manual years ago, but I have never been so stupid as to run my battery down like that, so I'm not entirely sure on when the alerts kick in as I have never actually seen one.
 
Dialectic said:
I've observed Teslas with dead batteries several times on the terrible stretch of I-95 between EWR and the GW Bridge. A true nightmare scenario.
Click to expand...
I have observed gasoline cars by the side of the road, frequently. This is not something particular to electric cars.
 
BJL said:
I have observed gasoline cars by the side of the road, frequently. This is not something particular to electric cars.
Click to expand...

That may not be exactly true. If a gas vehicle runs out of fuel it's a simple matter of bringing a two gallon gas can to site. If its a Tesla, you are talking about an expensive flat bed tow to a charging station.
 
amper42 said:
That may not be exactly true. If a gas vehicle runs out of fuel it's a simple matter of bringing a two gallon gas can to site. If its a Tesla, you are talking about an expensive flat bed tow to a charging station.
Click to expand...

In Australia we have mobile fast chargers that can come to you, no need for a tow
 
amper42 said:
That may not be exactly true. If a gas vehicle runs out of fuel it's a simple matter of bringing a two gallon gas can to site. If its a Tesla, you are talking about an expensive flat bed tow to a charging station.
Click to expand...
I did not mean by the side of the road because they ran out of gas. I meant by the side of the road because they stopped working, for whatever reason. Generally speaking, electric cars do not break down on the road, they are much simpler, and as I noted, there is absolutely no reason why anyone driving an electric should run their battery down.

I have never seen a Tesla by the side of the road or stuck anywhere in my county. I regularly see gas vehicles that have ceased working. Gas vehicles are in my opinion, pathetic and obsolete.
 
Vehicles need mindful owners to remember to re-fuel them - regardless of the power train. :)
 
Topolino will sell well at the Villages in Florida. I could use an intermediate-speed vehicle. Top speed 55mph. Range 50 miles.
 
jhaider said:
I just spent some time in Rome…and wanted to pack a very similar Citroën model in my suitcase. Ami something.

View attachment 543534
Click to expand...

Apparently the Citroen Ami and Fiat Topolino are corporate cousins.

Below is a link to a review from October 2025 of a Fiat Topolino that was rented for a vacation.

www.thedrive.com

2025 Fiat Topolino Review: What It’s Like to Drive a Beach Cabana on Wheels

The chances of the Fiat Topolino being sold in the States are close to none, and that's a real shame.
www.thedrive.com www.thedrive.com
 
You can get an uncorker and hit 49 mph in a Toppolini. That's actually a useful, if insanely dangerous, speed.
 
I wonder if the 8 horsepower output of a Fiat Topolino could be augmented with a 'wind-up key'. ;)

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Imagine Charlton Heston and Steven Boyd - each being drawn by 8 horses while standing in the sunroof of a Topolino.

1783733170427.png
 
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