6.15.2010

WENG- Urban Transport Vehicle

The WENG (Where Everybody Needs to Go) is an electric urban utility vehicle, designed by Stanford graduate students.  The prototype, unveiled yesterday, is a chic vehicle that may appeal to people who want to get out of their cars but can't quite make the shift to cycling.  It's a stylish and utilitarian, cheaper version of an electric golf cart.  The WENG is reminiscent of  a dutch cargo bike, with features such as a wood slat cargo bed and  a minimalist chassis.   With a 50 mile battery life, proposed production price tag under 10K and 35mph speed, this vehicle would be perfect for transporting people and goods around San Francisco.



Here's an urban re-vision:  Some people have cars, most people don't .  Services like zipcar and city car share redesign their programs and offer WENGs for city travel, while 4000lb internal combustion vehicles are reserved for highway trips.  Some people use WENGs via vehicle sharing programs.  Others own WENGs.  Bicyclists are safe and WENGers are conscientious motorists, more exposed and connected to the streets. Air and life quality indexes are record high.

2 comments:

jores said...

Interesting. But without protection from weather, I think this only looks slightly better than a bakfiet -- in fact, the bakfiet has advantages in some cases.

Still, it's good to know people continue working on different solutions.

Ramona Wheelright said...

i think it'd be pretty simple to make a light weather proof vehicle like this.

as for the open air WENG, it could work in california.