The Isetta, this funny car with tight rear wheels and marketed by BMW in the late 1950s, will soon have a 100% electric descendant. The Microlino 2.0, production of which will be launched on September 21, will be marketed in the coming months from € 12,000.
The launch of the Microlino 2.0 is imminent. Present at the Munich Motor Show, the 100% electric descendant of the BMW Isetta will arrive on our roads in early 2022. France is one of the markets ready to welcome it.
A quadricycle with a car chassis
In spring 2020, Micro Mobility Systems presents a new version of the Microlino, this modernized version of the BMW microcar from the 1950s. The car retains the iconoclastic silhouette of the original model with its unique front door. However, its chassis changes from a tubular structure to an architecture equivalent to that of a conventional car. The tracks have been widened, especially at the rear (+ 50%) in order to increase the stability of the car. However, they remain narrower than at the front to retain the car’s distinctive aesthetic. Another element of modernity, the adoption of independent suspensions of the McPherson type. The Microlino intends to offer all the advantages of a real car. It remains nonetheless approved as a quadricycle.
A top speed of 90 km / h …
Despite these changes, the Microlino 2.0 still weighs less than 450 kg on the scale, in particular thanks to the use of aluminum in the structure and in the body panels. The Swiss firm has also changed the chemistry of its batteries to switch to NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt). They are provided by BMZ, a German specialist in the genre. They offer better density in contained dimensions. This makes it possible to offer three distinct capacities, thus offering different autonomy (in the process of approval):
- 6 kWh for 95 km
- 10.5 kWh for 175 km
- 14 kWh por 230 km.
Recharging from a domestic socket lasts, depending on the capacity chosen, from 3 to 4 hours. The electric motor has a power of 12.5 kW for a torque of 118 Nm. The car can thus reach a top speed of 90 km / h, which would allow it to access expressways …
Eligible for the € 900 bonus
The Microlino offers only two seats, but has a neat cabin that can have a canvas sunroof and digital instrumentation. The whole thing is embellished with a trunk with a rather generous volume of 230 l.
This Microlino 2.0, assembled in Turin from September 21, will be available to order from the end of the year on the manufacturer’s website at a price starting around € 12,000 (excluding bonus of € 900 ), for deliveries expected in early 2022. The company is currently finalizing the agreement with a French distribution group, but she allows herself to market the car through more original channels, as Citroën did with her friend in the FNAC or Darty stores.
