One-Seaters- yes or nah?

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Whether or not we are in a "mobility revolution," we are seeing changes in the way people move around the city in real time. As mentioned in class, the definition of micro-mobility is constantly changing as the field evolves, and many of the concepts that have recently taken off, such as electric scooters, are just new iterations on old ideas.

 One of today's biggest questions in transportation is how to reduce car-ownership and dependency. Well over half of all car-trips are single-occupancy, which greatly adds to congestion and greenhouse gas emissions, but people are unlikely to ditch their cars when there are no better options. One idea to how to alleviate the SOV problem is to just make smaller cars. 

 Image result for cars in traffic

 The idea of one or two-seaters has been being bounced around for a while and has never quite taken off. One reason for this may be that if people are going to make an investment in a car, they want to buy one that can fill all their needs. In the article Is the Car of the Future a One-Seater, the author explains "because cars are such a big one-off purchase, we tend to buy them according to our maximum possible use. So we might buy a 4×4 that can pull a caravan, even though we only take a caravan holiday once or twice a year. However, with the growth of ride-share apps, one-seaters might make more sense; buy a smaller car to use for the bulk of your trips and use ride-share for the rest. 
Image result for lsev
LSEV electric car
Another reason that people may not be lining up to buy one-seaters is that the price difference is not enough to justify it. However, technology could also be changing that. We now have the capability to 3d print one and two-seater cars, and we've done it. This could greatly reduce production cost. For instance, the LSEV is a mass-produced, 3d printed, electric 2-seater available in Asia and Europe, and it only costs $7,500. Granted, it only goes 43 mph and has a range of 90 miles, but that seems reasonable for every-day use, and the price cut may be worth it. 


 In addition, these small cars could be good news for the environment. They use significantly less energy and take up less space both on the road and parked. In fact, the Hiroko car is foldable, making it even more convenient to park and freeing up space for other land uses. Given the potential benefits and the advances in technology, is it finally time for one and two-seaters to shine?
Image result for hiroko car folded
Hiroko foldable car

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