Inventor's electric car to clean up Olympics?
A former Canary Wharf business analyst is hoping to help clean up London’s streets with his very own three-wheeled electric car.
Al-Karim Versi's A-Kar is a city car or delivery vehicle which has a range of 70 miles and can travel at speeds of up to 35mph.
He plans to have his first models on the streets by 2010, and wants them dotted around London by the time the Olympics arrive two years later.
Al-Karim, 31, completed a placement at Credit Suisse in Canary Wharf during his studies at City University, and analysed databases and trading systems for three years at companies such as Bank of America and Morgan Stanley in the City and New York.
But by 2006 he was surging forward with his plan to create a different type of green vehicle for the urban driver.
He said: “My belief is that electric and green cars are the wave of the future. They’re the way forward.�
Al-Karim re-located to Hong Kong briefly to make his idea a reality, and made frequent trips to the Chinese mainland to find a suitable factory.
He said: “It took about a year longer than I’d expected.
“A lot of the factories didn’t understand why anyone would want to build an electric car when they could build a gas one.
“But we’re now at the stage of getting the moulds over from China, and we’re hoping to have 12 prototypes built in the UK and get them running on the roads.
“If we can get more green cars on the road, society will have a higher quality of life, and it will have a positive impact on future generations.�
The A-Kar can fit three passengers in the back seat, with one centrally-seated driver. The rear seats can also be pushed down to provide extra storage space. Its lithium-ion battery can be charged in five hours, and Al-Karim claims it holds “more than enough� juice to complete a day’s deliveries in urban areas.
He is aiming for sales of between 30 to 50 a month in future years. The A-Kar is expected to sell for around £6,000.
He said: “I can see its potential as a delivery vehicle between the City and Canary Wharf. It can also be used for the distribution of newspapers.
“I’m also hoping to see it on the roads during the Olympics. It would be a great concept which would showcase the progress of electric travel in the UK.
“Electric cars are good for urban areas. They’re easy to maintain, they don’t rely on oil imports and they don’t emit any fossil fuels.
“There are a lot of four-wheeled electric vehicles in development, but there aren’t any three-wheeled delivery vehicles. It gives the consumer more choice, and there’s one less wheel to replace.�
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that's real cool
What an excellent concept. The best of luck young man.
This demonstrates real entrepreneurial flair.
These would be great for the Olympics! We need originality.
Very nice- reminds me of the Carver. Would love the chance to design something like this.
What a great idea! Well done for pushing forward for a greener vehicle and for the effort put in to come to this stage. Good luck and hope to see them on the roads soon!
Not bad, good luck! :)