FRANKFURT: Opel is planning a small car for small people: a tiny new urban electric that can be legally driven by teenagers as young as 14 in parts of Europe.
The Rocks-e microcar slots into the European Union's AM class of driving licence, alongside quads and mopeds limited to 45kph, meaning it can be driven from ages 14 and up in countries like France and Italy, while other countries set the bar at 15 or 16.
Closely related to the Citroen Ami, it will cost significantly less than a conventional small car and will be cheaper to lease than a monthly ticket for public transport in places like Germany, where it costs around 75 euros a month.
If we can take the Ami as a yardstick, the Rocks-e should be available for about 7,000 euros in its home market.
With a length of 2.41 metres and a width of 1.39 metres, the angularly shaped vehicle made of plastic takes up even less road space than a Smart.
At 7.20 metres, the turning circle is also smaller than that of any other Opel.
The Rocks-e weighs just under 500kg and you climb in through doors that swing in opposite directions. It's powered by a small electric motor with a horsepower of no less than 8, which is enough to allow for a maximum speed of 45kph.
Then again, if your 14-year-old is behind the wheel of the car on busy city streets, perhaps you won't want them going any faster.
With electricity from a 5.5 kWh battery, the car is said to have a range for up to 75km, making it ideal for daily urban commutes, but less so for heading into the countryside.
Once it's empty, the Rocks-e needs three hours to recharge at a socket using its permanently installed cable.
