** Would you drive this car? The Tango, 39 inches narrow **

Seattle Times ^ | January 14, 2003 | Lisa Heyamoto

[Lizavetta]

...

Spokane electric car aimed at narrow niche

SPOKANE — Congestion, oil dependency and pollution are broad concerns for Rick Woodbury.

But when the Spokane resident thought about a solution, he decided to narrow it down — 39 inches narrow, to be exact. That’s the width of the Tango, the extremely compact, emissions-free electric car he’s invented with his son, Bryan.

Despite its looks, this car is no golf cart. It can accelerate like a sports car, going from 0 to 60 mph in 4 seconds.

The Woodburys have started a company, Commuter Cars. The prototype’s ready for replication. And they’ve received some high-profile support from U.S. Rep. George Nethercutt, R-Spokane, who has test-driven the car in Spokane and on Capitol Hill.

“I really enjoyed the experience,” Nethercutt said. “I think this is a potential source of relief to congestion and commuter ease, but I also think there’s a fuel efficiency side to the Tango that’s deserving of consideration and applause.”

Now everything hinges on the funding, and the selling.

Woodbury, who also runs a typesetting business, said he already has received a $300,000 loan from a childhood friend and is in talks with other potential investors.

Early buyers may have to assemble their own battery-powered Tangos, but Woodbury said that can be done in about eight hours. That will help keep the price down and get the business rolling.

He hopes to eventually sell preassembled cars for under $19,000 and possibly as low as $10,000.

So far, production is strictly by hand, but the Woodburys hope orders for the Tango will allow them to set up a larger-scale operation than the warehouse where they work now. The father and son hope to continue building the cars in Spokane.

Electric cars have been swinging on the popularity pendulum for years, generally attracting more attention as gas prices jump.

While gasoline-electric hybrid cars may become more of a mainstream option, some analysts say the future of electric cars remains doubtful.

But both General Motors and Ford recently scrapped ventures into the electric-car market, saying the cars didn’t prove economically feasible. Ford’s model never got off the ground, and GM’s was “a dead flop,” according to David Healy, an auto analyst with Burnham Securities.

“There’s just not enough storage capacity (in the batteries) to compete with a gas-powered car,” he said. “The industry, in terms of saving gas and reducing emissions, is in the near term going more in the direction of hybrids.”

But the two-seater Tango isn’t meant to replace the family sedan.

“This isn’t the car you take your family out to the country in; it’s the car you drive to work and back,” Woodbury said, citing 22 miles as the average round-trip commute.

Able to travel up to 80 miles on a charge, the car is envisioned by Woodbury as a nonpolluting commuter vehicle that will conserve highway real estate. Skinnier than some motorcycles, the Tango takes up half the space of a regular car and can legally park perpendicular to the curb.

In California, for example, lane-splitting is legal for motorcycles, and two Tangos could share a lane. In Washington, a Tango can legally cruise in the car-pool lane, he said.

And much like a cellphone, you can recharge the car overnight.

Woodbury sees the minuscule model as the future and he said a high-performance motor will help the Tango stand out among homegrown electric models and small-scale operations.

He said the cartoonish car can smoke a Dodge Viper at a stoplight and can reach 124 mph.

Woodbury also has patented a ballast system that uses the weight of the 25 batteries to keep the narrow car from tipping on tight corners.

“It’s safer, it’s easier — everything about it just makes you feel better when you drive it,” he said.

For added safety, it’s equipped with a racing-regulation roll cage. Weighing 3,050 pounds, about the same as a Toyota Camry, the Tango won’t give drivers a feeling of being bullied by larger vehicles, Woodbury said.

“We just went overkill to make sure we had the safest car,” he said.

The idea for the Tango came to Woodbury in the late 1970s while he idled in Los Angeles traffic. He moved to Spokane in 1992 and started his car company in 1998.

While he hopes for the money to jump-start his business, he doesn’t expect to get rich. “We’re not in it for the money,” Woodbury said.

“We just want to change the world.”

Lisa Heyamoto: 206-464-2149 or lheyamoto@seattletimes.com.

[mhking]

It's a motorcycle!

"Hold muh beer 'n watch this!" PING....

If you want on or off this list, please let me know!

[wideawake]

And SUVs allegedly have a tendency to rollover.

[Lizavetta]

Oh, to see Gray Davis in one of these things meeting a cement truck doing 80 mph on a back country road....

[Poohbah]

Actually, he got the idea when he drove his Yugo between two semis on I-5...and they both decided to merge into his lane at the same time :o)

[babaloo999]

He said the cartoonish car can smoke a Dodge Viper at a stoplight and can reach 124 mph.

Yeah, but how well does it corner, and do the chicks dig it?

[Revolting cat!]

I'll start driving one the day I see Brbra Strsnd drive one. In the meantime, I'll drive the SUV version of the same thing!

[mhking]

.and they both decided to merge into his lane at the same time

[LOL]

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[ContentiousObjector]

looks like one of those Italian kiddie cars,

(in Italy there are these stupid little glorified street legal go-carts that kids 12 and up are allowed to drive.)

[Ramius]

Interesting. The big problem with electrics is range, and this one looks pretty good with 80mi on a charge. It might just work.

Note this: The big selling point is that they can drive in HOV lanes. That might even get me in one someday. Always hated those "carseat" lanes.

[Fraulein]

Would you drive this car?

No, even if I was allowed to drive it down the bicycle lane.

I imagine a Tango convertible would be a bit like riding in a bumper car.

[CharacterCounts]

I was in Italy over Christmas. They all drive small cars. Probably because of the very narrow streets and very expensive gas. We took a picture of a "Smart" car. It could't have been much larger than the one pictured here.

Italians also smoke like there's no tommorrow. Probably because they all die in car crashes before they get a chance to contract lung cancer.

[Russell Scott]

I want something that goes a little faster and higher like the Skycar.

[MonroeDNA]

I guess I¡¦ve been around here for about 5 years or so now. Time sure flies!

When Jim Robinson started this site, it was because he was fed up with the liberal media, and how they would not let people worldwide know about the corruption of the Clinton Administration. A few of us, equally concerned, (with great luck) found it fast.

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BTW, did you know that the founder of this site is in a wheelchair (sorry Jim; I know you think it doesn¡¦t make a r*ts a$$ difference. Hey, some folks out there need to come down a peg¡Xlike I have.).

Think of it! In the darkest days of the Clinton Administration, there was a lone internet site where people with integrity, brains, and sheer gumption could discuss the dangers faced by the US. Not on CNN, for sure.

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The opposition checks it out, too. Like the NY times staff, CNN, etc. Trust me, they all come here to read. Even YOUR post. You know by now how they are whining about Rush? We¡¦re next, as soon as they figure out how they can trash this site without it getting a million hits.

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[Libertarianize the GOP]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[PoorMuttly]

Just make sure to roll the windows down before going over the George Washington Bridge....

...or you'll be going OVER the George Washington Bridge !

[Redcloak]

It's a motorcycle!

It's a skateboard with a seat!

[Centurion2000]

bump

[L,TOWM]

>>>>We took a picture of a "Smart" car. It could't have been much larger than the one pictured here.<<<<<

My 5 year old kid came up to the top of the window on that thing. The most terrifying sound I have ever heard was the noise made by a couple of dozen scooters leaving a traffic light early, while we were all still in the crosswalk.