The Girasole: An Electric Car That Warns With The Sound Of Horse Hooves!
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 01.29.07
Yoshio Takaoka, in collaboration with Italy's Start Lab SAP, has crafted a fully functional electric car that packs built-in "horse hoof" sound effects. The two-seater reaches speeds of 65 km per hour (41 mp/h) and travels distances of up to a 120 km on a full battery, which costs about $1. The car uses the the sound of horse hooves hitting the pavement to alert pedestrians and other drivers. The Girasole, which means sunflower in Italian, retails for about $18,000 but drivers can claim a $6,600 subsidy from the government under an environmental protection clause. Japanese consumers who test drove the car were impressed by its quietness. Since the top speed is only 41 mph, if it came to the U.S. it would likely be limited to NEV status (meaning it can only be driven on side streets where the speed limit does not exceed 35MPH). :: Via: Reuters
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I don't know where you guys got the picture from. I can't find it anywhere else on the web. There doesn't seem to be any company website or anything.
Anyways, I was backpacking through Europe last November and I saw that exact car parked on the the side of the road in northern Florence. I even have a picture. Notice the rolled power cord sticking out between the the hood and the windshield. That's how we figured it was electric.
Nice parkjob on that blue GIRASOLE in your picture, BenE !!
I love sustainable lifestyle, but I don't need to carelessly hinder other people to get around my car!
That being said, I wish this was sold in the U.S......
BenE,
The original photo came from here:
http://blog.scifi.com/tech/archives/2007/01/29/girasole_electr.html
I replaced with your photo, it's much better. Hope you don't mind.
Justin
Ever been to Europe? That's how they park... it's not such a big deal.
This car is awsome! NEV's in Canada are restricted to 40km/hr (which makes it hard to drive them on normal roads). They need to import those to North America!