Peapod Mobility makes the Peapod neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV).  A car with a smiley face both front and back.  The initial release version will be a four person vehicle but two other versions are in development.

The Peapod car looks like it was lifted from the cartoon movie Cars complete with winsome smile.  The facial expression of the car’s front with headlight eyes and smiling grill was intentional.  The designers at Peapod Mobility wanted to create a car that reminded them of their childhood visions of future electric cars.

All three versions of the NEV, the Peapod, Twinpod, and Utilitypod will be made from 95 percent recycled and recyclable material, will run on about 2 cents per mile and will have a top speed of 25 mph, top speed allowed for NEVs.  As the company says:

The Peapod is what we call healthy green — healthy for you, healthy for the environment and healthy for your budget.

The four seater Peapod has some very original features for a car that will have a base price of $12,500.  First of all, the seats are mesh, not leather or fabric or even padded like regular seats.  These mesh seats are very similar to comfortable mesh office chairs.  This is a departure from the seats found in other NEVs that resemble either golf cart seats or stripped down car seats.

The two front doors have handles so that the doors can be opened easily from the outside.  The two back doors can be opened backwards once the front doors have been opened.  The front side windows can be manually rolled down while the back side windows have a hinge that allows them to be pushed outward to let in air.

The Peapod will also have a connection for an iPod or iPhone that can be plugged in and played through the car speaker system.  Although the car comes with your standard key to turn the car on or off, you can also program your iPod or iPhone to perform the same function as the key.

The car also has a detachable roof that adds a little sporty twist to the car.  The roof lifts off very easily with the twist of a lever so that you can take advantage of cool breezes and sunny weather.

Unlike a lot of other NEVs, the Peapod has lockable doors so that add a security for valuables left inside and prevent the Peapod from being taken for a joyride by thieves.  The mini hatchback allows easy loading and unloading of larger items and groceries from the back of the car.

The Twinpod looks like the Peapod in a smaller size.  There are two doors instead of four and the overall length is shorter.  Since the car is still in the design phase it is hard to know what other differences besides size will be found in the final version.

The Utilitypod resembles a slightly larger Twinpod with a truck bed attached.  Clearly this vehicle will not be used for heavy lifting or large loads but it should be able to transport garden plants and trees fairly easily.  Again this vehicle is still in the planning stage and all of the deviations from the Peapod are not fully known.

All three Peapod Mobility vehicles can legally run on roads with speed limits of 35 mph or less.  For small towns or urban areas where the speed limit rarely exceeds this speed limit these vehicles would be perfect for around town use.  The car plugs into a normal 110V outlet and can charge in six to eight hours.  That charge will carry the car about 30 miles.

For trips that require highway use, distances beyond 30 miles or traveling on roads with speed limits above 35 mph, you have to use a full size car.

The original Peapod can be reserved online and delivery is expected in October.  For the Twinpod and Utilitypod, delivery dates are unknown.  For areas where a NEV would work well, this is a cut little NEV with a happy attitude and some great features.

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Entry was posted on Friday, April 24th, 2009 at 2:21 am under Auto, Green Technology.

Read more entries by Susan Wilson.
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