The vehicle industry is constantly dominated by large, powerful vehicles built to carry passengers, haul heavy items and easily handle different types of road conditions. As the saying goes, "bigger is always better" and it rings true most of the time for many vehicle owners.
On the other hand, there are also individuals preferring small and compact vehicles as their daily driver - and their numbers are increasing. According to recent industry reports, sales of compact cars have increased by 18% due to its competitive pricing with the same car safety and comfort available for vehicles even in smaller sizes.
Pushing Beyond Compact
Car manufacturers are going beyond your basic concept of compact vehicles. Mini, Micro and Nano vehicles are also emerging for various uses. Let's take a look at these three types of vehicles - you might find one that you like in the near future.
Mini Vehicles
Mini cars are relatively bigger compared to Micro and Nano Vehicles and they are often considered for their ability to transport individuals and items above everything else. Usually measuring up to 4 meters in length, some of the most popular Minis are the Peel P50 who traversed the UK roads as a three-wheeled wonder; Smart Fortwo, a relatively powerful four-wheeled vehicle for two passengers; and the Mini Electric Cooper SE as the EV option.
Micro Vehicles
Micro cars on the other hand, push the idea of a small vehicle to the next level. Often electronically powered due to its size limitation, these are extremely small vehicles that can actually be road worthy with the right government regulations. A perfect example is the Wuling Air EV measuring 102.3 inches in length and 59.3 inches in width for the two-seater option. The Renault Twizy is also a four-wheel, two-seater EV with 50 mile range on full charge and only measures at 92.0 inches in length and 48.6 inches in width - a much smaller vehicle compared to Wuling Air EV.
Nano Vehicles
Nano Vehicles is not your regular vehicle built for humans or any large items. As the name suggests, these are extremely small vehicles made for special functions. It may sound like science fiction but these vehicles actually exist. A perfect example of a Nano Vehicle is the tiny robots designed by ETH Zurich. These tiny robots are 3D printed and they are made of metal and plastic. They are built to travel through the blood stream and could be used to deliver medicine to specific areas in the body. For control, magnetic fields are used to connect to the metal part of the tiny robot. Another Nano Vehicle is Harvard's RoboBee - an "autonomous flying microrobot" designed to mimic the behavior of bees for agriculture functionality and even emergency situations.
Mini, Micro and Nano Vehicles: Challenges and Hope
Small vehicles have been increasing in popularity because of their sticker price, relatively easier learning curve and generally comfortable. While it doesn't offer the same comfort compared to large vehicles, these types of vehicles feature unique perks not to mention the economic advantage of owning and using one of these.
On the other hand, adoption of these vehicles often face government regulation challenges. Safety concerns on the use of battery, driving capability and even the general safety of this type of vehicle due to its size is often a source of debate. Speed limit - often limited to 35mph as its top speed, also made these vehicles not fit for regular roads and could cause traffic and pose danger to other regular vehicles. Fortunately, the increasing popularity of these small vehicles will eventually lead to better regulation and use.
