As pointed out in an article in this week’s Wall Street Journal, thanks to mandates and its size as the largest vehicle market, the Chinese market is driving the demand for electric cars. Eli Electric Vehicles, a Beijing-based, electric vehicle start-up is driven beyond mandates, however and has a vision to create mobility at a human-scale. Part of the problem according to Marcus Li, Eli founder, is that,
“Cars over the years have brought us farther apart and encouraged sprawling, which created more need for cars.”
Li was studying architecture in New York and had a revelation regarding the importance of the elevator in the development of modern cities by effectively allowing a third-dimension. He realized that,
“transportation products shape the look and feel of the those places, as well as the lifestyles of the people that live there.”
With that in mind, the Eli team has been examining how transportation can bring people and cities together, instead of sprawling further and further away.
The first result of his team’s approach to mobility is the Eli ZERO, unveiled at CES Unveiled and displayed at the International CES2017 show floor. At $10,000 (without subsidies) this fully enclosed, two-person electric vehicle will have a range of 40 to 70 miles and top speed of 25 mph (40 km/h). Made from high-tensile, extruded aluminum, this vehicle has a specified weight of 770 lbs (350 kg) vehicle, while carrying up to 500 lbs (200 lbs) of passengers and cargo in its 160 Liter storage area.
It features entertainment options, such as a radio and Bluetooth interface, and there is air conditioning and heating for comfort. The onboard 3 kilowatt charger allows it to be plugged into a standard wall outlet for recharging.
The Eli ZERO would face a plethora of competition in China, as, according to the Wall Street Journal article, there are already more than 100 electric models in the Chinese market. In an email update, Shania Denny, Marketing Director for Eli, indicates that they plan on launching in the U.S.A. and will be accepting pre-orders by the end of 2017. Still, with a vision that transcends mobility and with a focus on the human and her relationship to the surrounding built-environment, perhaps Eli will carve out a niche that helps the quality of life for citizens everywhere.