L7 electric cars in Germany: car dwarfs rehearse the uprising

L7 electric cars in Germany
Auto-dwarves rehearse the uprising

04/28/2023, 06:35 am

Crowded streets, cost increases, climate and energy crises: cars in the L7e category could help solve many of the current problems. The mini-mobiles are resource-saving, low-consumption and therefore ecologically sensible. But the car midgets are still struggling in Germany.

L7e lightweight vehicles are now old hat and have remained marginal since their introduction in 2011. Perhaps, however, the electric dwarf Microlino will succeed in bringing some momentum into the hitherto sluggish segment. After all, it is the optically most appealing and technically perhaps the most advanced representative of this class. As part of his official Germany driving presentation in Mainz, his creators, the brothers Oliver and Merlin Ouboter, therefore also spoke of a new potential pioneer for the traffic turnaround and more climate-friendly mobility.

It is obvious that resource-saving and low-consumption mini-mobiles make ecological sense. Certain doubts still seem appropriate that car midgets, even if they come across as charming as a Microlino, are becoming a mass phenomenon in Germany. But at the same time there are increasing signs that the dwarf uprising might still succeed.

Savior euphoria was followed by disillusionment

The fact that the L7e category has been struggling so far is illustrated by the example of the Renault Twizy, which was supposed to initiate the turnaround in traffic in Germany as early as 2012. When the electric moped car was launched, the first seriously manufactured e-cars gave rise to hope that individual car traffic could soon become environmentally and climate-friendly. This is probably one of the reasons why the first examples of the covered electric quad were enthusiastically received by many in Germany as a savior. But the initial euphoria was quickly followed by disillusionment. In the first seven years, Renault was only able to sell around 5,000 copies of the Twizy in Germany.

The reasons for this are obvious: the spartan two-seater is far below the level of normal passenger cars in terms of comfort, everyday use, safety, prestige and performance. Word quickly got around when it started 11 years ago. Accordingly, its already low sales figures fell drastically after the first year. Although Renault is still offering the mini-mobile, demand remains low.

Low success due to missing doors?

Merlin Ouboter believes that, among other things, the absence of doors and the correspondingly open bodywork on the sides may have prevented the Twizy from being more successful. His Microlino offers a closed and, as the first representative of its class, also a self-supporting body. This basic framework is a pound that the Microlino can actually excel at compared to other representatives of its segment. To date, vehicles in the L7e category have generally been based on tubular frames, which are then clad to a greater or lesser extent. The metal skin of the Microlino, on the other hand, is both a supporting structure and a safety cell.

Crash tests have yet to show whether the protective space will bring a decisive advantage in the event of an accident. In any case, crash campaigns by the ADAC and EuroNCAP in 2014 and 2016 attested to significant safety deficits in earlier small vehicles. EuroNCAP boss Michiel van Ratingen therefore came to the conclusion in 2016 that environmental reasons should not be an excuse for unsafe vehicles.

Even if the Microlino performs better in the crash test than other representatives of the L7e scene, it lags behind normal cars by miles in terms of safety equipment. There is no ESP, ABS, collision avoidance or airbags. Without a battery, L7e vehicles must not weigh more than 450 kilograms, which also significantly limits the options for safety equipment.

With regard to comfort and driving characteristics, the demands should not be too high either. Cars in this class are hard and loud and have to do without comfort achievements such as large amounts of insulating material, air conditioning, power steering or electric windows. Unfortunately, the Microlino is no exception.

Pros: Fewer resources, energy, parts

However, the comparatively low weight and the resulting lack of more sophisticated technology also has positive downsides: L7e vehicles consume significantly fewer resources during production, and when driving, their energy consumption is far below that of a car. 50 percent fewer parts are said to be needed for the construction of the Microlino compared to an electric car. The CO2 backpack is already comparatively small during the manufacturing process.

The energy requirement when driving is also significantly lower. The overall weight, which is also low thanks to the small batteries, and the moderate performance ensure relatively low consumption. For comparison: the 12.5 kW/17 hp Microlino consumes a good 6 kilowatt hours per 100 kilometers, while a Fiat 500e consumes more than twice as much. A VW Golf with a petrol engine that burns around 6 liters per 100 kilometers has an energy equivalent of even 50 kWh. Electrically powered L7e vehicles are not only significantly more efficient, they are also locally emission-free and take up little traffic space.

Inexpensive to buy

And then L7e vehicles are also comparatively cheap to buy. A Twizy is currently 11,450 euros, the Estrima Biro is 13,500 euros, while the future basic version of the Microlino is set to start at 17,690 euros. For comparison: A Smart Fortwo ED is available from around 22,000 euros, Fiat 500e or MG 4 cost 31,000 or 32,000 euros. Although there is a clear gap between the L7e car and electric car, this is currently being generously filled in Germany by the e-car subsidies. With the money from BAFA, the price of new e-cars can currently be reduced by over 7,000 euros. In 2022 it was even around 9600 euros.

Due to the generous premium, the additional financial expense for electric cars is low compared to the L7 electric vehicles, which are not subsidized at federal level. If you look at the price-performance ratio, the large e-cars are currently clearly ahead. After all, there are a few regional funding pots for L7e vehicles.

Hoping for community support

At Microlino, people are in good spirits that other municipalities and cities will soon get involved in order to provide financial support for the purchase of environmentally friendly small vehicles. If the BAFA subsidy for e-cars ceases and car manufacturers continue to raise their prices as they have recently, L7e vehicles could also become an interesting alternative from a financial point of view.

The range of regional funding programs for L7e vehicles could also increase due to an increasing range of corresponding models. The fact that the selection of L7e vehicles will grow in the near future is shown, among other things, by the staff of a service provider responsible for the homologation of the Microlino. According to Merlin Ouboter, there was initially only one employee assigned to L7e vehicles. The department has since been expanded to five people.

One of the upcoming new L7e models will be the Twizy successor Duo, which Renault’s mobility brand Mobilize is expected to even launch with doors in 2024. Otherwise, the two-seater should do a lot better than the Twizy. According to Merlin Ouboter, Microlino is currently in contact with Renault with the aim of leveraging possible synergies in the production of L7e vehicles and being able to obtain better components for the Microlino in the future. In any case, the next few years will show whether the potential lies dormant in the segment of lightweight electric cars to win the hearts of a larger number of cars in Germany.