The Comuta-Car, the successor to the CitiCar, was an early attempt at scalable electric vehicle (EV) production. It was built between 1979 and 1982, and the number finished likely didn’t reach much more than 2,100 units. The Comuta-Car was an overgrown golf cart that could be titled for use on the street. This one resides in a carport and needs body and brake work, and we’re unsure of the battery situation. Located in Peyton, Colorado, this awkward EV is available here on craigslist for $1,700.
Sebring-Vanguard out of Florida developed and produced the CitiCar (1974 to 1977), followed by the Comuta-Car. These autos came about as a result of the mid-1970s gasoline shortage. The cars had a wedge appearance, supporting only two passengers, and storage space was nonexistent. Huge bumper extensions were added to make the safety Feds happy. A six-hp electric motor powered by multiple six-volt batteries was deployed, so these machines weren’t going to win any races.
These little cars could go about 40 miles on a charge with a top speed of about 38 mph. This one runs/ran on 48 volts, which would be 8X6V batteries. We don’t know how long the seller has owned this oddity, but not enough time has ever come forward to get it going again. The body needs some work, as do the brakes, but the design seems simple enough – though where would you find some of the parts?
We’re told the Comuta-Car will “turn on,” so that’s a good sign. Even if you got it going, what would you do with it? A lot more sophisticated EVs have come along in the past 40 years. Considering how people drive on the roads today, this vehicle probably wouldn’t be more than a novelty rather than an actual source of transportation. Thanks for the tip, Jack M.!
I say this whenever these come up, I was at a yard sale in my little town, getting bigger, thanks to getting on the “7 best places in Colormorado to live”, list, under a pile of stuff, was a Comuta-Car. She said it was not for sale, and I was the only one who said anything about it. Not sure if 2 in my state is a record, it was poorly received. Oh, we laughed,,,an ELECTRIC car? Good heavens, what next, electric bicycles? Funny how under duress, our attitudes can change. Woodgrain dash a nice touch, but like all these flash in the pan ideas, it’s about range. We just can’t get past the battery thing, and with the Colorado River running dry, and all the hydro-electric plants that will stop turning, our electric devices may be in peril. Think about that.
Howard, I had one back in the early 80s, and ran all over Denver in it (including on the Valley Highway!). It would die in an intersection, you could hear the points fuse. Push to the curb, clean points with a nail file, then back on the road. It was a blast. In addition to my baby blue one, there was a doctor who had a bright green one. A Denver magazine did an article with photo of us and our Citicars. I can’t find the article.
I wonder if they would trade up or down for a four cylinder Jeep?
Put a Maytag in it…
These are cool, odd and funny all in one. Never seen one moving. But not the first electric car made.
Every time I see one of these, I go back to 1963, when I saw the plans to build a kids’ Flivver in Mechanix Illustrated. I often wonder which would be better; or more practical.
And, yes, I sometimes admit that I tend to get cynical at times…
My former co-worker downloaded the plans and actually built one of these for his grandkids. I think it’s more of a decoration for his Man-Cave than something for the kids to play in.
Yeah folks, I’d get it going, get the
whoa factor fixed, wrap the body
in flexible solar panels and use it
to take myself to work down at my McDonald’s or just show up down there and become a real pest to my Kids by making sure they do things right. This would be perfect for a person with a vision impairment that keeps them from driving a regular car. So yeah, I’m all amped up about
owning one someday and would
get a real charge out of driving it.
And no, I don’t find the cost of parts to be all that shocking, it’s
all part of the game. If you can’t
find it, make it. I’m sure there’s
a lot of modern stuff out there to
bring this little wonder back to life again. At least your bank account won’t get zapped if you
bought it.
I had one, they really hate hills. To be truthful, I had a Citicar, which is a bit shorter on battery power. They were designed in Florida where there are no hills, so that explains that. It’s pretty much a golf cart, that has no place on a modern highway. With brand new batteries I got it up to 45 mph, with a tail wind. Being anywhere near an 18 wheel dump truck will heighten your senses to overload. More of a conversation piece than an actual car.
Perfect for a gated community to make a mail run in the rain. Nevada winds would flip this thing over. But if you happened to catch a tail wind you might see 50 mph!
I like the simple, functional design. It’s not trying to be anything more than it is.
I believe I’d want to swap the functional components out with modern equivalents, though. Lithium/Sodium batteries, modern motor, and controller. Seems like the kinda machine you’d scoot out to get them mail & a bag of groceries with, could probably fully charge it daily with a single cheap solar panel. Almost zero cost of ownership, once the initial investment is made.
I would *not* be comfortable taking it out in any kinda real traffic though LOL. I think I’d feel safer on a bike.
An electric smart for two is a tiny bit bigger can go freeway speed and gets about 50 miles to a charge this would make a interesting project to see if you can get a gas engine to fit, but the smart for two did better in the crash test than this golf cart
My point exactly Danno. Replace all that old stuff in there with modern motor and charge controllers and watch the reliability spike. And what you said about lithium sodium batteries, swap the old ones with
these, and you can decrease the
battery weight by maybe using a
48 volt stack with only 4 12V batteries instead of 8 6V units. Then fabricate a 3 way charging
system that will relieve your mileage anxiety by knowing you
can charge it by plugging it into a
wall socket, solar power, or a combination of solar power along with 2 bike generators placed at
the rear wheels. These will make
power as long as the rear tires turn. Each generator puts out 12
volts and exerts little, if any parasitic drag on the main motor.
In theory, combo charging would be the best way as a 48 volt total
can be sent to the battery using
both devices together. That way,
you can drive this thing anywhere.
These were designed to be a grocery getter on city streets and did that quite well. The low top speed didn’t matter since it wasn’t safe to drive them any faster anyway. They came with a contactor/resistance controller, which made it somewhat jerky. When Curtis came out with the sold state golf cart controller, people would replace the original controller. As gas went back to normal and it came time to buy 8 new golf cart batteries, these tended to be parked and forgotten. Your local golf cart dealer should have plenty of parts and upgrades, as off-the-shelf parts were used. The post office had a fleet of these that were slightly bigger and heavier duty. They still show up from time to time.
I hope that is not a vanity plate. In the vanity plate world W84 would be “wait for”, I’ll leave BJB up to you folks.
$1.70 fixed it.
Put an LS in it!
These were given away on The Price is Right as prizes and would also appear in the showcase round. They pop up on Ebay once in awhile and the ones that were cared for bring good money.
Had one for a few weeks in the late 70’s. Was ok in town but hilly PA was too much for it. It would overheat the electric motor on hills. I made the dealer take it back. Fun for a short time.
I saw 2 of these side by side along the street at a car lot during a trip to Cleveland 10 days ago, what are the odds?
You could probably increase the range by 25% if you were to lop off those jumbo girder bumpers. But they are almost part of the charm of this little device.
Above comments seem to ignore the possibility of making a Hybrid. Small size motor generators can be placed somewhere,.. if not just a “trunk”,off the rear bumper extended. This is a good challenge for father/son project.
I’d gift it to my grandson, just approaching learning to drive. I’m 1200 miles away, but son and grandson are maybe 75 miles up the road in Westminster.
I’ll give them the option. Someone will need to be creative and think outside the slanted box Bob N. Indy N,