Sebring-Vanguard Citicar

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Sebring Vanguard
CitiCar 1976
CitiCar 1976
Citicar / Citivan
Comuta-Car / Comuta-Van
Production period: 1974-1977
1979-1982
Class : Light vehicle
Body versions : Coupé , panel van
Engines: Electric motors :
1.8-4.4 kW
Length: 2437 mm
Width: 1397 mm
Height: 1524 mm
Wheelbase :
Empty weight : 591 kg

Sebring-Vanguard Citicar was a car model of the US-American Sebring-Vanguard from Sebring (Florida) . Construction time was 1974 to 1977. The vehicle and its variants were the best-selling electric cars in the USA until the success of the Tesla Roadster in 2011 . Sebring-Vanguard was the Commuter Vehicles, Inc. sold. This company produced similar vehicles (the Comuta-Car and the Comuta-Van ) from 1979 to 1982.

history

The Citicar was a small electric vehicle that was manufactured by Sebring-Vanguard from 1974 under the impression of the 1973 oil crisis . It was a golf cart-like vehicle that reached a top speed of 63 km / h. The early models did not have any special equipment such as lockable doors or air conditioning. In 1976, so many Citicars were made that Sebring-Vanguard became the sixth largest automaker in the United States after GM , Ford , Chrysler , AMC and Checker . Production ran until 1977; a total of 2300 Citicars were built.

The Commuter Vehicles, Inc. bought the plans for the Citicar and renamed the vehicle Comuta-Car . In 1979 the production of an improved version began and another 2000 Comuta cars and Comuta vans were built. With a total of 4444 "C-Cars" produced, this model held the record of the best-selling street-legal electric car in automotive history, until it was replaced by the Tesla Model S , which has been built since 2012 .

Models

There were three models of the Citicar. The coupe produced first was the smallest. It had a smooth, sloping front, a flat roof and a smooth, almost vertical rear. Early models were powered by a 1.8 kW electric motor and were equipped with a 36 V battery pack. From December 1974 a 2.6 kW motor and a battery pack with 48 V were installed. From March 1975 there were many small improvements.

The later Comuta Car models were powered by a 4.4 kW motor and the batteries were moved from their place under the seats to the bumpers, making the car about 400mm longer than the 2438mm Citicar.

The largest model was called the Citivan or later Comuta-Van. The vehicle length grew to 3607 mm; it was powered by an 8.8 kW motor and had a 72 V battery pack and a three-speed transmission. Like the other models, it offered two seats, but also had a cargo space. It was the only model with a trunk and sliding doors. Many Comuta vans were right-hand drive and shipped to US Mail .

All models had a welded aluminum tubular frame, an ABS body , rigid axles and leaf springs at the front and rear. The top speeds fluctuated between 48 km / h and 80 km / h, the range was up to 64 km.

literature

  • George Nick Georgano (Editor-in-Chief): The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. Volume 3: P – Z. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1 , p. 1432. (English)

Web links

Commons : Citicar and Citivan  - collection of images, videos and audio files