What are Microcars?
Small & light
They weigh less than 450kg and use one third of the space compared to a normal car.
Practical & protected
Weather protected, enough space for more than 95% of the average trip and safer than mopeds or bikes.
Eco-friendly
Only one third of the emissions during production and use due to light weight and smaller batteries.
Why do we need Microcars?
Right-Sized
With an average of only 1.6 people per car, microcars provide an appropriately sized and more efficient mode of transport.
Environmental Impact
Microcars significantly reduce emissions and help combat climate change by providing a cleaner alternative to traditional vehicles.
Urban Efficiency
They require less space for parking and maneuvering, alleviating congestion in crowded city environments.
Cost-Effective
Microcars are cheaper to maintain and operate, offering an affordable transportation solution for urban dwellers.
Innovative Mobility
These vehicles promote innovative, sustainable mobility solutions, integrating seamlessly with modern smart city infrastructure.
How can Microcar adoption be accelerated?
Parking incentives
In Japan and Amsterdam, various parking incentives have massively increased Microcar adoption.
This can be done in various ways such as:
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Create specific, smaller parking spaces
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Free parking in certain areas
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Parking fees according to size of vehicles
Purchase subsidies
As with all new technologies, there is a little push required to get to the economies of scale.
The good news: by subsidizing microcars, you can get more bang for your buck, as microcars cost only about half of a conventional EV.
Less investment - bigger ecological benefit.
Equalize tax benefits
Did you know that in many European countries, microcars are actually disincentiviced?
For example:
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Much higher taxation as company cars than regular EV's for employees
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Not included in various scrappage schemes
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Not included in most M1 subsidy schemes
Other incentives
A panel of experts was asked, which incentives they think would have the largest impact. Among them were:
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Access to low traffic zones
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Increase of charging infrastructure
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Free parking
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Specific lanes
Members from all over Europe
