Bringing Skinny Back: Tango electric production to restart?
Until the Tesla Roadster came along, most electric cars were odd looking, to say the least. Near the top of the list of peculiar EVs you'll find the Tango. This tandem two seater looks like a Japanese Kei car that got stuck in a bagel slicer. It's creator, Rick Woodbury, stopped building Tangos after 11 were completed. But, if you lust after one of these babies, fear not. He is apparently ready to restart production of the three-foot wide car that can slip down between the cars in adjacent lanes like a motorcycle.
The market for such cars is limited, at best, and, when the price tag starts at $150,000, it's no wonder so few people ponied up for one. Even with the market for electric vehicles heating up, one has to wonder how many more people would by such a vehicle even if it does go 0-60 in 4 seconds and travels 120 miles on a charge.
Gallery: AltCar 2009: Tango EV
[Source: USAToday]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
AutoCritical 9:40AM (11/07/2009)
Looks like someone resized the image without keeping the ratio. For sure you are asking for this to be tipped!
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BlackbirdHighway 10:06AM (11/07/2009)
Actually, all the heavy batteries are located at the very bottom of the vehicle, so the center of gravity is very low. While it looks like it would easily tip over, in reality it is very stable and handles curves just fine.
phd924 10:29AM (11/07/2009)
150,000 is this a joke
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Nick From Montreal 10:53AM (11/07/2009)
I'v often wondered why someone would though the hell of developing a new vehicle only to make it look undesirable to most people. While I admire that they actually went through with it, I just cannot understand this form of "commercial suicide".
Good entrepreneurs will change their design until they get a hot seller. Hopefully, M. Woodbury will come out with something that can compete with Tesla look-wise.
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chris 11:11AM (11/07/2009)
Good luck with that
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Monica Dickey 5:32PM (11/07/2009)
Yeah... This car looks like it's dangerous to drive outside hehe
gonnagreen 11:19AM (11/07/2009)
why not make it twice the wide with twice the seats....
Two-t-Tango!
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contact 11:41AM (11/07/2009)
The whole purpose of this vehicle is to reduce traffic congestion by being able to lane-split legally like a motorcycle. This prevents 100% emissions and provides 2 people the ability to get to work while not sitting in traffic for hours every day.
p.s. This car is narrower than a Honda Goldwing and I love them. I've heard rumblings of a $40k model in the next year or two.... I would rather have it than a Volt even though the Volt is more "functional"...this vehicle is just more "fun"
gorr 12:09PM (11/07/2009)
If the cost is 150 000$ , it's probably because of the battery. These new car engineers wannabe are dreaming too much. It take a small battery plus a compact multi-fuels or at least gasoline or diesel small compact high-efficiency light low-cost well build and engineered electric performance enhencer and range-extender generator.
Im looking ahead for these range-extenders, it's all it take for futur green electric and hydrostatic ( hydraulic pressure motors ) green cars, Many designs can be made instead of the traditionnal inneficient ice piston + crankshaft design. 150 mpg minimum is possible.
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Ian Bruce 4:45PM (11/07/2009)
This comment actually made sense... Who ARE you, and what have you done with Gorr?
gorr 12:43PM (11/08/2009)
Not only it take green cars that can be refueled at home, like electrics or hydrostatics green cars but it take small refueling home machinery like electric or hydrostatic windmills and solar panels and anerobic mud, co2,water garbage algae sewage digesters.
neptronix 2:25PM (11/07/2009)
Made to lane split, yeah right. I've never seen a goldwing pull of a lane split. Traffic would not react well to a stupid looking car weaving in and out of lanes.
Someone was smoking some serious yayo when they both designed & priced this one out. I've seen the spec sheet and brochures. It is not an impressive car.
Good luck competing with a real electric car like the Tesla. I am suprised ANYONE pre-ordered the thing.
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Derek Jones 4:04PM (11/07/2009)
I've spoken to Rick in the past and my take is he's definitely over-engineered the thing. The cost is from having every bell and whistle under the sun in this just to safely go 0-60 in 4 seconds and have a huge range. Other than the safety part everything else is too much. I like the idea and think there is a place for these designs but the reality is no-one's going to be lane splitting when there will be only a couple of these on the road. There would have to be thousands out and about to ever see that happening and the only way you'll get thousands out on the road is to sell them for a tenth of the price they cost today.
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David Wright 6:15PM (11/07/2009)
Does George Clooney still own one?
Those who criticise how it won't achieve mass-market appeal are surely missing the point. This is a fun machine for celebs.
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Nick 12:26AM (11/08/2009)
Maybe you guys don t like this car because it just doesn't look like the 'regular' cars, which is fixated in your mind as having 4 doors, 5 seats and a large trunk?
Yeah, like there's enough space for that to continue....
The Tango is an awesome project, just wayy too expensive. But look at what Honda just presented... this type of car is coming.
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Chris 2:03AM (11/08/2009)
No, we don't like the car because it's $150,000.
Paul Pearson 9:54AM (11/08/2009)
I have driven this car,and its a rocket!I drove it in Wanatachee Wa. earlier this year.The stability was fine.I have designed & built a few EVs,and I can tell you this is WAY ahead of it's time.In L.A. where I live this car would not only help with smog,. but you can run these two abreast.Think out of the box,the old thinking got us in this mess.The car displayed next to ours at this years Alt Car Expo....Paul Pearson
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Wally 8:20AM (11/08/2009)
Shouldv'e called this "Half Smart".
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Ian Bruce 2:33PM (11/08/2009)
Or... "too Smart by half".
Mark Kiernan 11:56AM (11/08/2009)
When you compare this car to the Model S, Tesla roadster, the Karma Fisker, Nissan Leaf, or anything else why would someone buy it.
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