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The US’s only true street-legal electric micro-car just got big upgrades

There’s a growing push in the US to rethink what a “car” really needs to be, as more Americans than ever embrace alternatives from e-bikes to golf carts, among other car alternatives. Wink Motors is the latest company betting that smaller, slower, and cheaper might actually be the smarter answer for a lot of drivers.

But Wink has a different approach, focusing on those who want to retain the benefits of a traditional car without all the extra cost or hassle.

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I tested the weird, tiny, low-cost electric car soon coming to the US

Tiny-EV-US-Fiat

Electric vehicles are everywhere these days, but few are as intriguing – or as polarizing – as the tiny urban EV soon headed to American roads. Fiat recently announced plans to bring its diminutive new model, the Topolino, to the US this year. At roughly the size of a golf cart and priced far below most traditional EVs, it is technically more of a quadricycle than a true ‘car’ and offers a radically different vision of personal mobility: ultra-compact, affordable, and perfectly tailored to short city commutes.

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The Kandi 4P golf-cart is an NFL fan’s dream neighborhood cruiser

Kandi has become fairly well known in the US for its electric golf carts and work-focused UTVs, but the company has teamed up with Lowe’s and the NFL on something more playful: the Kandi 4P electric golf cart. Sold through Lowe’s with official NFL team liveries, this four-seat neighborhood cruiser is aimed less at the fairway and more at cul-de-sacs, grocery runs, and game-day tailgates. I spent time with a Miami Dolphins–themed 4P in South Florida to see what it can really do.

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After e-bike fury, suburban pearl-clutchers set their ire on golf carts

golf cart on the street

First, it was e-bikes, offering an efficient, effective, and low-cost way for teens and just about everyone to zip around town, yet drawing the temper of suburban traditionalists. Now golf carts are the new public enemy number one in suburbia, at least if you ask the growing number of online groups where residents complain about these small electric vehicles “clogging” their streets.

But beyond the hand-wringing, golf carts and their more sophisticated cousins known as Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs) or Low Speed Vehicles (LSVs), are quietly becoming a popular alternative to cars for short trips around US cities and suburbs.

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Why this electric ‘car’ the size of two motorcycles should be on your list

eli zero microcar

Let’s just face it, America. We’ve got a weight problem. No, not that weight problem. It’s the size of the cars. The best-selling vehicles in the US are all of the biggest, heaviest, and most oversized models available. But it doesn’t have to be that way. A new crop of tiny electric cars is changing the game and offering options we’ve never had before. Err, actually, I probably shouldn’t call them “cars”.

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Two years after buying my $2,000 electric truck from China, here’s how it looks now

electric mini-truck

Back in early 2021, I set out on a journey to buy an electric mini-truck from China and bring it to the US. Yes, I’m that guy. You may have seen my truck before. After tens of millions of views on its viral videos and articles over the past two years, now it’s time to take a closer look at how my Chinese electric mini-truck has held up. And spoiler alert: some of you folks aren’t going to be happy.

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Hate cars but kind of need one? Why a low-speed vehicle like this may be for you

Cars and city living – it’s a complicated relationship. While cars offer the promise of supposed freedom and convenience, they also come with parking nightmares, fuel costs, and the dreaded rush-hour gridlock. But what if there was a middle-ground solution? Enter the low-speed vehicle (LSV).

LSVs are a federally approved class of motor vehicle that are basically the hybrid of car convenience and scooter/bike simplicity. With a healthy and growing car reduction movement in cities, they may be just the answer. Here are some compelling reasons why an LSV could be the perfect fit for you.

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Meyers Manx reimagines its dune buggy as an all-electric neighborhood EV for any terrain

Meyers Manx electric

Veteran dune buggy manufacturer Meyers Manx has debuted a new all-electric spin on the vehicle that put its name on the map. During Monterey Car Week, the company introduced the Resorter – a neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV) designed for fun local trips with the entire family.

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