This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.
https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/evs-electric-vehicles-micromobility-smart-car-ultracompact-4b6a6e6bA new generation of tiny one- and two-passenger electric cars is becoming available around the world. Americans aren’t interested. ‘Minimobility’ vehicles like the Italian-made Microlino are smaller and cheaper than full-size cars. Manufacturers are betting this category will be big just about everywhere—except the U.S.Most days, Athena Frederick goes grocery shopping and picks up her grandson from school without ever getting into a car. The same is true of her teenage daughter, who takes herself to and from high school.
That’s possible because she lives in Peachtree City, Ga., a small town just south of Atlanta that started building a network of paths in 1974 that are accessible to golf carts, but not cars. It now extends more than 100 miles, serving 38,000 residents and their more than 11,000 registered carts. Nearly every destination and domicile in the town is accessible via a class of vehicle most Americans regard as a toy.
This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.