a One person car
who can read Chinese? There are a heap of photos of the new Ecooter (gesundheit!) electric commuter vehicle on this page, but all of the text is in Chinese. Thankfully, the China Post has some information on the four-wheeled, one-person enclosed EV on this page. From there, we learn that the vehicle, unveiled today by the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), is a concept that is "designed to create a driving trend in urban societies." We know its electrically-powered, but if you're looking for more details, please hold. The Ecooter will be on display at the 2007 EICMA International Cycling Exposition in Milan, Italy next month, according to the Taiwan News.
I am pretty sure there's a problem with the China Post's English, because it says, "The ITRI will continue to develop automotive electric motors and energy-intensive battery systems to be installed in the vehicle's wheels, in an effort to simplify its construction." I highly doubt engineers would place the batteries in the wheels, but then again, there's not a lot of tradition going on in the Ecooter in the first place.
There a video of the Ecooter parking in an unimaginably tight space after the jump. Smart fortwo, eat your heart out.
[source: China Post, h/t to Domenick]