The CityEl has a base price of 7,499 euros (about $10,200). (Photo by Nick Kurczewski)Looking like a prop from a campy science fiction movie – where everyone wears pastel-colored jumpsuits, and every computer looks like an 8-track player mated to a Lite Brite – the CityEl city car somehow can’t help but make you smile. At the very least, it will cause most people to grab their camera and start snapping photos. It certainly had that effect on me when I happened upon one on the streets of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Compared to many other European cities that face ever increasing traffic and congestion problems, the City of Copenhagen has recorded a measurable decrease in automobiles in the city center since 2003. Copenhagen prides itself for having safe, wide, and very well marked bicycle lanes. It seems to be one of the few cities where bicycle rental locations outnumber Starbucks. Copenhagen also boasts an extensive train, subway, and bus system.
In these green-thinking urban surroundings, it should come as no surprise to stumble upon a car like the CityEl. This three-wheeled, single-seat and electric-powered oddity began life in Denmark. Produced from 1989 to 1995, it was initially labeled the MiniEl. The car I came across happens to be from this original run of cars. Production has since moved to Kitzingen, Germany, where the outwardly identical CityEl is manufactured at a rate of 150-200 per year. In total, over 5,500 MiniEl and CityEl trikes have been sold since 1989.
The car’s physical dimensions fall somewhere between a European micro-car (think Smart ForTwo) and a tube of toothpaste (think Colgate). At only 107.9 inches long and 41.7 inches wide, the 617-pound CityEl is sized more like a large motorcycle than any car. Depending on which of the two electric motors a customer chooses, the CityEl can also be registered as a scooter in many European markets.
According to the manufacturer, a CityEl has a cruising range of between 25 and 50 miles. Recharging via normal plug and wall outlet takes roughly six to eight hours. When equipped with the more powerful electric motor, a CityEl can dabble its three impossibly skinny wheels on the far side of 35 m.p.h. In base format, and registered as a scooter, ultimate oomph is limited and top-speed drops to only 28 miles per hour.
Inside there is seating for only one. However, for an extra €129 ($175) there is an optional rear-facing seat suited for one small (and very brave) child. The CityEl has undergone crash testing, and four-point belts along with a steel and aluminum safety cell prove that occupant safety is taken into consideration. Still the laws of physics dictate that in any nasty encounter between an S.U.V. and a CityEl, the sport-ute will win every time. Yet on the city streets of Copenhagen – where super-size trucks are few and bicycles are many – the nimble proportions and Earth-friendly credentials make the CityEl seem much smarter and a lot less like sci-fi fantasy.
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