TO THE EDITOR:
Regarding the podcast "Daily Drive Rewind: The science behind smart cities," May 10: A three-wheeler can be bikelike. But why would you want to do that? Piaggio, Peugeot and Yamaha already brought motorized tricycles.
The intriguing thing is that a three-wheeler can also be carlike. As a matter of fact, it can offer the best of both worlds: the safety and comfort of an automobile and the agility, economy and fun of a two-wheeler.
As the car is to lose its internal combustion engine-based hardware and engineering, it will basically become an oversized appliance on wheels.
And do zero emissions mean that we are in the clear? Not by a long shot. To begin with, still more than 60 percent of the world's electricity is generated by burning fossil fuels.
Even if renewable energy takes over, why would you waste energy?
Sleek-footprint vehicles enable more space-efficient use of the present infrastructure. Sharply reducing vehicle weight reduces wear and tear on roads.
With Level 5 autonomous passenger cars out of reach for years, some say decades, Level 4 (autonomous out on "the open road" and manual and/or assisted mode within a city) in sleek three-wheeled vehicles may be our best bet for the foreseeable future.
In 2007, Apple disrupted the personal communication sector by introducing the iPhone. Shouldn't we be looking for a smart device for personal mobility as well? "Apps" become functions it can perform. Question is: Which form follows functions best?
RALPH PANHUYZEN, Haarlem, Netherlands, The writer, of Smart-for-three.com, promotes a sleek-footprint vehicle as a way to solve personal mobility and car transportation issues.
