Birò

Birò

Estrima, an Italian electric micro-mobility sector specialist, presented Birò at EICMA - described as the smallest [two-person] four-wheeled electric vehicle.

Hugely versatile, Birò can stop and get charged "almost anywhere", even using a regular domestic electricity supply outlet. First seen in 2008, Birò is "one of the first electric quadricycles launched on the market. Now much updated - not least in size with more room inside but the same external dimensions, maintaining its bragging rights as the smallest four-wheel electric vehicle in the world. The footprint on the ground remains a record - less than 2 sq m at 111 cm wide and 179 cm long. However, the internal volume increases - in the standard model the rear compartment goes from 41 to 122 litres (+ 200%) and is accessible from the inside; in the Birò Big the oversized luggage compartment - from 204 to 308 litres (+50%) - can be configured thanks to the multifunction parcel shelf. Comfort for taller people also improves with an extra +4 cm between the seat and sunroof.

A new EV Motor Smart Driver is smaller and lighter (only 350 kg). During the charging phase, the energy absorption is a maximum of 1.1 kW. Birò requires no new infrastructure.

Unlike many prior personal transportation vehicles for one or two people, the construction of the Birò is as strong as possible within the parameters of present-day materials and safety system designs, which will go some way to answering the fears that have held back the use of such vehicles in heavy or fast city traffic before.

It may not yet be a universal solution, but as part of an automated downtown ride hailing system, it certainly looks like a promising solution for cutting journey times.