Microlino’s ‘anti-pickup truck’ is designed for Americans

Micro — maker of those electric bubble cars found in some European cities — has a new Microlino especially for Americans. The all-electric Microlino Spider is dubbed the “anti-pickup truck” and is meant to be a golf cart replacement. No, not for use on fairways, but at expansive resorts and so-called golf cart communities where well-heeled urbanites can retire in the relative safety of walkable villages with low-speed roads.

“Americans don’t just drive large cars. In fact, the US is the world’s biggest market for golf carts, where they’re often used for personal transport within neighborhoods,” says Wim Ouboter, founder and chair of Switzerland-based Micro. “That’s exactly why we created the Microlino Spider.”

“Consider it the antithesis to massive electric pickup trucks — not built for the 5 percent of trips where you need to haul a lot,” says Ouboter, “but for the 95 percent of trips where you are alone.”

The Microlino Spider features an open-door and roof design to make it easy to jump in and out from the sides. That’s a marked departure from the highway-legal Microlino Dolce I reviewed last year, or the slower Lite version that …read more