Motorised quadricycle

A light vehicle (official term: light motor vehicle or light quadricycle ) is a mostly four-wheeled motorized vehicle, which is significantly reduced in size and weight compared to a classic automobile. The names and small light mobile vehicle and moped car used.

It thereby takes into stationary and moving traffic and congestion in less space. Up to three such vehicles fit on a car parking lot. The light vehicle bridges the gap between motorcycle or quad and the conventional cars Accordingly take light vehicles usually one or two people and have a wind and weather protection. The scope of equipment compared to a car is usually reduced.

• 5.1 advantages
• 5.2 disadvantages

General

The Vehicle Registration Regulation ( FZV ), date of 3 February 2011 defined four-wheeled light vehicles as a " four-wheeled vehicles with an unladen mass of not more than 350 kg, not including the mass of batteries in electric vehicles, with a maximum design speed of not more than 45 km / h, with spark-ignition engine whose displacement is not more than 50 cm ³ or with a different engine or electric motor, the maximum rated power is no more than 4 kW ".

Such vehicles are exempt from the general inspection and approval, that is, it does not have road tax to be paid for the attitude. To operate the vehicle on public roads an insurance license plate is required. Also, three-wheel motor vehicles were previously classified as a light motor vehicle, such as the throttled to 45 45-km/h-Versionen of CityEl. Under the revised FZV these are among the most mopeds with the same restriction in engine capacity, engine power in electric vehicles and speed to 45 km / h

Especially the little practical 45-km/h-Limitierung reduces the acceptance and diffusion of light vehicles, especially in Germany. Other light vehicles such as TWIKE, Sam or Twizy be classified on the basis of the higher terminal velocity as the automobile.

History and current development

Light vehicles are not a new phenomenon, but in a sense a return to the "Roller Mobile " and small vehicles of the 1950s. Former reason for the popularity was the affordable option for almost everyone to have a covered vehicle. In the 1970s and 1980s, these vehicles have been largely displaced from the streets with the increasing popularity of the automobile. Since their use was permitted due to a legal loophole for holders of certain moped driver's licenses, but does not completely disappeared.

The intention of today's developments lies more in the solution of current traffic problems. The current low level of demand and market sharing provides light vehicles clearly identified as niche vehicles constitutes the market segments served by bicycle, motorcycle and car are clearly divided and their respective supporters, new hybrids between these vehicles find it difficult to obtain the necessary dissemination, even if high attention achieved will. An example of this was the partial failure of the BMW C1 on the market. Even with the low incidence of velomobiles and electric cars, in addition to technical problems and high costs, partly due to the fact.

Vehicles already offered modeled in appearance and number wheels currently essentially the classic car.

The largest manufacturers are Aixam, Ligier, Microcar, Chatenet and JDM. In Europe, the light motor vehicles most frequently are represented in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Austria and the Netherlands.

Driving license

Light motor vehicles

Since 19 January 2013 allowed in Germany aged 16 and over, who are in possession of a driving license class AM, steer appropriately designed vehicles ( limitations on weight, engine power and top speed ). Also for the elderly or disabled, the light motor vehicles are a way to stay mobile. In addition, they are an inexpensive alternative, as neither principal nor emissions testing are required to pay any road tax must be incurred and low insurance costs compared to more powerful car.

Unlike other subcompact and micro cars, the car can be driven with a moped license in some countries without a driver's license.

The light motor vehicles can be moved with the moped slip with the registration light quadricycle in Austria.

Other light vehicles

Depending on the design and Drive is no permit required (eg Alleweder -E) or even a driving license class B (eg TWIKE ) for other light vehicles.

Security

An argument against light vehicles is their lower passive security against the car, which optimally designed light vehicles are similar to ordinary cars. Compared to two-wheelers, however, results in an increase of security. In addition, the external security over other road users is higher than in a car.

There is concern that the number of countries participating in the motorized road transport young people will increase with wheeled vehicles and this will be felt in more accidents. The impact of early habituation of young people on the road with lower speeds on the accident statistics can only be determined at a later date. While lower rates generally represent a gain in security, large differences in speed in the same street space lead to more accidents.

In a study of Insurers Accident Research ( UDV ) to gasoline LKfz their safety is viewed with skepticism and questioned. In contrast, studies of light electric vehicles have pointed compared to cars on a reduced security risk in city traffic, this. Because of a measurably quieter driving Both can be correct, since different user groups may have very different driving modes: on the one hand those who lost their car driving license on the basis of misconduct, on the other hand "eco- pioneers "; one hand boy that can not even drive a car, on the other hand old woman who no longer want. So far, the premiums for LKfz liability insurance, which are based on the frequency of accidents, generally lower than for faster and heavier vehicles.

Advantages and disadvantages of light vehicles

Benefits

• Also suitable for people who do not have a valid license.
• Significant advantages compared to a motorbike or moped in terms of comfort ( some with air conditioning, car radio ) and safety (standard belt tensioners and force-absorbing vehicle carrier, in part, airbags).
• Lower maintenance and maintenance costs compared to conventional cars
• The suspension has been continuously developed and therefore offer today an excellent driving performance that is superior to many conventional car models due to the favorable weight distribution.
• Modern injection systems reduce fuel consumption, so that light vehicles today one of the most economical and environmentally friendly vehicles with combustion engines include at all. Even more economical of the available on many models electric drive ( power consumption: Internal combustion engine about 30 kWh per 100 km, electric motor about 6 kWh per 100 km). Here, a battery pack for a light electric vehicle is much cheaper than the heavier weight for an electric car.

Disadvantages

• For some uses to limited space.
• The regular speed has been greatly limited by law.
• The car insurance is relatively high in some cases, compared to two-wheelers.

Quad

A quad (quad = four ) is by Directive 92/61/EEC, a " motorcycle like four-wheel motor vehicle in a variety of vehicle and body types ." This Directive confines this four-wheel motor vehicles to a maximum output of 15 kW and a maximum empty weight of 400 kg and thus allocates a large portion of the Quad vehicles and the light vehicles. Vehicles over 15 kW of power are no longer covered by Directive 92/61/EEC. You can be authorized only as a car or as agricultural and forestry tractors.

Quads are usually very terrain. The pre-series vehicles with tires ball and two to eight wheels were mainly located in the military area. An example is the German KRAKA. Quads are now used primarily as off-road recreational vehicles.

Light electric car

As a light electric vehicle (LEM ) is a battery-powered, four-wheeled vehicle in lightweight construction is called, which is in its design between an electric bike and a scooter or electric car. Official Title: A four-wheeled light motor vehicle with an unladen mass up to 350 kg ( without batteries) with design-related maximum speed of up to 45 km / h ( EC vehicle class: L6e ). Three-wheeled vehicles are referred to as (small ) motorcycles.

These electric vehicles, (English: Neighborhood Electric Vehicle) for which there is no single, colloquial term in Germany make world with more than 500,000 vehicles, the largest share of multi-track electric vehicles from!

After 1900 electric cars compared to the internal combustion engine -powered cars were quite competitive, it was only after the oil crisis, efforts to develop electric vehicles. A fundamental problem of electric vehicles is the low energy content of the energy store ( battery). To compensate for this deficiency and to obtain satisfactory range, the energy consumption of an electric vehicle must be kept very low. This is, as the name suggests, achieved through consistent lightweight. Light electric vehicles are usually relatively small ( 1 to 1.2 mx 2-3 m), only one to two seats have a plastic body, narrow tires and preferably three wheels.

Many concepts of light electric vehicles never came from an experimental stage or small series out (SAM, Voltaire, Hotze flash). Commercially successful were the only company Kewet Buddy, TWIKE, Citycom with the CityEL (formerly el Trans) and Lohmeyer - light vehicles with the Alleweder -E. However, the technology could also be applied to two-wheeled vehicles that are sold by many manufacturers in large numbers, but still much less than gasoline-powered vehicles. A special form is the Segway with two adjacent wheels.

As traction batteries usually lead-acid batteries and nickel -cadmium batteries came in the early days used. Today will also lithium - ion batteries, mostly used lithium iron phosphate batteries. Typically enough, the energy content of batteries for operation with an hour speed limit, so that the ranges of the light electric vehicles are a maximum of 50 to 80 km. The new battery developments allow for significantly higher performance in a conversion despite lower weight. So a Hotzenblitz was equipped with LiPo batteries the company Kokam and reached > 350 km range.

A form of light electric vehicles are vehicles for the disabled, replace the walking and cycling. A special form is also the Segway with two adjacent wheels.

Experimental vehicles and concept cars

With the most spectacular representatives and also from a technological perspective particularly interesting offshoots are on the engl. so-called Tilting Three Wheelers ( TTW ), sloping three-wheeled vehicles.

Even Mercedes -Benz has already presented in 1997 such a concept car, the Mercedes F 300 Life-Jet. This is a trike that leans into turns. It rides on motorcycle tires and offers performance that lie between a car and a motorcycle. The hardtop is removable. In the series more experimental vehicles have emerged, but not all fall into the category of light vehicles.

The Shell Group launches an annual Eco - marathon, to go as far as possible with one liter of gasoline in the vehicles. The vehicles are all experimental vehicles that are powered by gasoline, hydrogen, solar or diesel. The consumption is converted to a liter of petrol. The winner of 2005 came on one liter of 3836 km. This is equivalent to 0.00026 liters / km and 0.026 l/100 km. This was achieved with a hydrogen-powered vehicle of the Swiss ETH Zurich. The best diesel-powered vehicle was ranked 11 in the overall ranking, reaching 1807 km / l with a 4.2 hp engine. The vehicle was fielded by the FH Offenburg.

HPV (human powered vehicles ) / velomobiles

The most radical of lightweight construction driven by muscle power vehicles ( velomobile ) is driven. In addition to pure muscle power concepts, there are also combined drive systems, with supporting an electric drive is used ( eg Aerorider, TWIKE ).

Today's manufacturers of light vehicles

• Aixam
• Automobiles Ligier
• Bellier
• Casalini
• Chatenet
• Effedi ( Maranello )
• Fine Mobile GmbH ( TWIKE )
• Grecav
• ITALCAR (formerly Tasso )
• JDM Automobiles
• Elbil Norge AS ( Kewet Buddy)
• Microcar
• Piaggio
• Renault ( Renault Twizy )
• Secma
• Smiles AG ( CityEL )
• Tricycle or recumbent - based concepts ( velomobile ) Quest, Mango, C- Alleweder
• Cab -bike
• Aerorider
• Leitra
• Alleweder
• Leiba
• Sled sourcerer
• Birkenstock Butterfly
• Go-One

Credentials