Mini City E1 electric vehicle owned by Maurice Gibb from the Bee Gees
Mini City E1 electric vehicle owned by Maurice Gibb from the Bee Gees. The CityEl is a 3-wheel light-weight electric car currently made in Germany by Smilies AG (formerly known as Citycom AG) 1992 Mini-El 'Basic' side viewThe CityEl was originally developed as the Mini-El by Danish company El Trans A/S in Randers and was first brought onto the market by them in 1987. After El Trans A/S had to give up production in 1988 and two subsequent manufacturers (Eltrans1 A/S in 1991 and Eltrans89 A/S in 1995), Citycom Denmark A/S, a German investor, took over and moved the company to Aub. The production is now in Aub-Baldersheim. In 2009 the company was renamed again, when it started to sell electric vehicles of other brands besides their own. The vehicle is for one person, seated centrally. Rather than conventional doors, the whole top-half of the vehicle hinges upwards on gas-struts allowing access to the cockpit. An optional child seat allows the car to carry a child (up to 30kg), sitting behind the front seat on the engine compartment, facing backwards. The driver operates car-like controls (steering wheel, brake and throttle pedals) although the vehicle is classed as an electric motorcycle in some countries. There have been three body styles since production started. The 'Basic' version has a completely solid roof. Some versions have plexiglass side-windows. The Convertible was a fully open version no-longer made by CityCom. In its place the 'Targa' version was constructed, with a removable centre soft top but solid rear windows. In America the City El was sold with a different roof, made out of fibreglass. This roof is slightly different from the factory-built City El roof. City El weighs only 280 Kilograms and the front end can be lifted quite easily. When the batteries are removed it is possible for three people to lift a City El clean off the ground.
Size: 4064px × 2704px
Location: Battersea Power Station, Battersea, London
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ecovelocity, german
