Heuliez Friendly in Paris
French coachbuilder Heuliez has exposed its Friendly – a plug-in electric city vehicle with a range of up to 140 miles and a top speed of 70mph.
The pint-sized car has three motors to choose from – 16, 18 and 25kilowatt – and they are powered from a nickel metal hydride battery which can be charged from a household electricity supply. It is planned for city use but San Franciscans need not apply: the motor will not cope with any more than a 17% gradient. It can, however, be driven on motorways.
There are three versions available – short (2m 10cm), standard (2m 50cm) and long (2m 90cm). All variants are three-seaters with the front seat located dead centre, and the two rears set in the traditional way to form a triangular arrangement. The rear seats can be removed to create a larger load bay. With the rear seats folded down, the Short offers 850 litres of space, while the Long offers 1650 litres.
