What’s wrong with cars?

While many of us rely on cars for everyday transportation, we often fail to realise the impact that driving around 2 tonnes of metal has on the environment - while we may be aware of it in a wider context, it can be difficult to reconcile that with our dependancy on their conveniance.

Up to 50% of urban journeys are single occupancy, in which only 3% of the fuel burnt is actually used to propel the occupant - the rest is wasted in moving the vehicle itself. The mass of the vehicle is what drives fuel consumption - and in a time of skyrocketing fuel costs and diminishing oil reserves, oversized cars are becoming increasingly untenable.

The same goes for pollution. Particulate emissions from tyres and brakes (projected to account for 10% of PM2.5 emissions by 2030 in the UK) scale with the mass of the vehicle, as well as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions which worsen climate change and cause respiratory problems.

The footprint of modern cars is huge, especially compared to that of their occupants, exaccerbating issues with congestion and reducing effective road capacity. Many people in urban enivronments are forced to park on the street - sometimes even on the pavement, blocking access to pedestrians - as well as constricting the road, increasing the danger of collision and vehicle damage and worsening local traffic.

For those of us living next to busy roads, or trying to walk alongside them, the noise is incessant and unpleasant at best - which, again, is a result of excessively heavy road vehicles (consider how much quieter a bike is than even an electric car at the same speed).

When walking or cycling, we’re faced with the everyday hazard and - at times - aggression, of large motor vehicles. The driver may feel safe, isolated from the environment by metal and glass - yet the people outside bear all the risk of injury should the car hit them, with the high and vertical bunpers of increasingly popular SUVs greatly increasing the chance of fatal injury from going under in a collision.

What can be done about this?

Fuel consumption, pollution, congestion, noise, and personal danger are all reasons to reduce the size and mass of our vehicles. Cars need not disappear but rather be used for appropriate longer distance journeys where other forms of transport are not practical. Seeing as the majority of car journeys made in the UK are sub 20 miles and in urban areas (in which 50% of the population live), it follows that small, light, personal electric vehicles should replace them for these applications - drastically reducing our environmental impact while saving money.

What do we offer?

eQuad personal electric vehicles offer environmentally friendly, practical, and economical transportation - making use of 3D printing to be tailored to the needs of the customer and modular for infinite configurability.

We offer multiple varieties depending on the desired use - basic, cargo, off road, sport, and competition - as well as a full configurator for any combination of options. 3D printing means we can even make custom models perfectly suited to the customer, whatever their requirements.