Sitting in front of your computer, you click "Buy Now." Making sure the
correct selection is in your online basket before you check out, you
notice the order total. For one item, the cost will be £9,194.00, about
$18,000 USD as of February 2008. But this unusually high price for
something purchased over the Internet doesn't faze you, because you're
not buying a really expensive book or getting ripped off by a
third-party seller on Amazon.com -- the product you're ordering is the
Reva G-Wiz Automatic Electric Vehicle, an emission-free electric
automobile made in India and available through UK retailer GoinGreen.
Ordering from an online showroom is just one of the company's tactics
that aim to cut costs and lessen the effect urban travelers have on the
environment. With smaller, more efficient cars like the Smart Car all
the rage in England, the G-Wiz has quickly become one of the UK's most
popular electric vehicles, with more than 900 models driving around the
streets of London [source: GoinGreen]. GoinGreen advertises the G-Wiz as
the greenest vehicle available for purchase in England -- its Web site
claims the G-Wiz's electric engine produces zero direct emissions, and a
full, eight-hour charge costs about $1 (50 pence), the equivalent of
nearly 600 miles per gallon. The vehicle is also exempt from London's
hefty new congestion charges, and drivers can park for free in certain
areas and make use of on-street charging points while away from the
G-Wiz....
G-Wiz Safety Concerns
One of the main concerns with compact cars is the safety of the vehicle.
The lighter weight of these vehicles makes them more susceptible to
damage in an accident, and automakers need to be creative if they want
to build a strong, protective body. The close quarters also put drivers
and passengers at an increased risk of being hurt by poorly designed
crumple zones or broken windshields.
The G-Wiz huddles among taxi cabs, delivery trucks and hulking
double-decker buses in London, England.
Scott Barbour/Getty Images
The G-Wiz huddles among taxi cabs, delivery trucks and hulking
double-decker buses in London, England.
The G-Wiz is very compact -- it's only about 8.5 feet long and 5 feet
tall -- and since it's classified as a quadricycle, it's not required to
undergo the same kinds of safety tests regular automobiles do.
So in 2004, Reva introduced the G-Wiz dc onto London streets, following
up in 2006 with the G-Wiz ac. No official crash tests were performed on
these vehicles, so consumers had no idea how someone would fare in a
collision. It wasn't until the summer of 2007 that UK car magazine Top
Gear performed its own series of crash tests with the G-Wiz. People were
finally able to see the destruction a wall -- or better yet, a simple
table -- could deliver to the popular electric vehicle.
The results of the crash tests, which you can view on the Jalopnik Web
site, are painful to watch. One video shows a G-Wiz driving into a wall
at 40 mph, while another shows two G-Wizzes, traveling at 30 mph,
hitting each other. In both, the front section of the G-Wiz gets
completely torn apart and crumpled in toward the driver and passenger
dummies. Another video, seen here on YouTube, puts the G-Wiz up against
a table, with simultaneously amusing and horrifying results....
Read More...
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/g-wiz-electric-car.htm
Don
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