Girasole electric car packs horse hoof warnings

Apparently, we've used that simple "beep" to alert pedestrians when a vehicle is reversing or otherwise coming up on someone long enough, as Yoshio Takaoka, in collaboration with Italy's Start Lab SAP, has crafted a fully functional electric car that packs built-in "horse hoof" sound effects. The Girasole can be fully charged from a home AC outlet for around $1 per "tank," and can then travel nearly 75 miles at a top speed of around 45-miles per hour, but the standout feature on this otherwise uninspiring (albeit very green) automobile is the entirely bizarre "clip-clop" horn that "alerts pedestrians and other drivers" that the car is near. While we're not entirely sure why a next-generation vehicle is throwing back to the days of (way) old when literal horsepower was the main means of transportation, we'll give due props for the ingenuity, but equipping our vehicle with equestrian noises is likely the least of the worries here in the US.

[Via AutoblogGreen]

[zonamanoz @ Jan 29th 2007 7:03AM]

Oh my that's ugly!! :/

[applesucksLeo @ Jan 29th 2007 7:46AM]

Looks like something the fat slob , beer drinking "golfer" will be driving.

[Erwos @ Jan 29th 2007 8:43AM]

45 mph isn't going to cut it for American drivers. Or anyone else that actually uses a highway. It might be worthwhile as a corporate vehicle for theme parks and such, but it's not at all appropriate for consumer use, from what I can tell.

[Peter @ Jan 29th 2007 9:05AM]

Erwos - For highway use, you're right, but for around town it would be fine. It also depends on the length of your trip. A 20 mile trip at 45 instead of 70 is only going to take about 10 minutes longer.

Oh, and it is really ugly. That would probably be the main thing that would stop Americans from buying it. No one would want to be seen in one of these.

[Descolada @ Jan 29th 2007 9:11AM]

Of course the car is ugly. If the car wasn't ugly, Americans might actually purchase one, which would be the end all for car companies as we know it. Electric cars last a LOT longer than their ICE counterparts, and without people running out and buying new cars every 4 or 5 years, car companies would never make money.

And what the hell is it with these crappy specs? They were building electric cars that could go 70mph up to 100 miles back in 1992, for God's sake. Why the hell are they REGRESSING in the specs?

Stonecutters, I'm on to you!!!

[macona @ Jan 29th 2007 1:25PM]

When you have to replace the batteries every few years at a significant portion of the cost of a new vehicle the savings so sound so great. A small diesel would be better and get as cheap "mileage" as electric.

[strider_mt2k @ Jan 29th 2007 9:20AM]

Does that mean it's gonna go down to 25MPH on a hill?

[whitey @ Jan 29th 2007 9:39AM]

The thing that will keep American buyers from buying it is the fleet of Hummers piloted by distracted soccer moms talking on their cell phones waiting to impale you the moment you drive it off the lot.

[Big John @ Jan 29th 2007 9:50AM]

It looks like this is meant for use in European countries, specifically rural areas. What is the common form of transportation in such areas? Horses. A local won't know what the hell an electric car sounds like coming up on them, but they sure as hell know the horse hoof sound.

Also, @Erwos: not every citizen in the US needs to do 55+MPH on freeways to get where they need to go. This is extremely useful in college towns and smaller towns as a great energy saver.

[Chris @ Jan 29th 2007 10:00AM]

actualy that would work in pretty much any 1st world country these days. most people know what horses sound like, but don't see one often when when they hear it, they look, especialy the kids. And this type of horn would be a lot less shocking and intrusive than a "emergency alert" horn.

[Joe Shmoe @ Jan 29th 2007 1:15PM]

As a cyclist I love this horn. Electric and slow-moving hybrids are the bane of my existence, the sneaky bastards don't make enough noise to alert you to their presences until it's way too late.

[Josh @ Jan 29th 2007 2:11PM]

They are trying to break into the untapped Amish market.

[Mr.Ortiz @ Jan 29th 2007 3:14PM]

The horse-clop horn is a greatidea. Car horns are the worst form of noise polution in any city, and when a pedestrian hears a horn blast from a car they didn't even know was there, they're more likely to panic and freeze up than move out of the way. The horse clop is a very whimsical (read: Japanese) solution to both problems. In the near future, car horns may be as customizable as cell phone rings.

[matt @ Jan 29th 2007 7:55PM]

wow, they totally ripped off smart's design, only thiers is way uglier.

[Diana @ Feb 2nd 2007 4:04PM]

It's cute!! I'd buy one in a heartbeat - as long as it cost under $20,000

[Neil @ Feb 5th 2007 1:45PM]

As an individualist American I'm glad to see some creativity in car design. I'd buy one. It's different. I like it. However, I said earlier today to my girlfriend that I'd like an electric car that goes 60 mph because a couple local roads have a 55 mph speed limit. Round trip to my office is 15 miles but if I show real estate to clients I sometimes drive 90 miles in one day with no advance notice so a 100-mile range would be great.

[Neil @ Feb 10th 2007 5:41AM]

As an individualist American I'm glad to see some creativity in car design. I'd buy one. It's different. I like it. However, I said earlier today to my girlfriend that I'd like an electric car that goes 60 mph because a couple local roads have a 55 mph speed limit. Round trip to my office is 15 miles but if I show real estate to clients I sometimes drive 90 miles in one day with no advance notice so a 100-mile range would be great.

[Simon @ Feb 14th 2007 9:36PM]

Haha @ Big John - horses! I think you need to get out more, maybe to rural Europe. We dont all ride around on horses, hahaha! :)

[Liutaz @ Feb 15th 2007 11:52AM]

When You pay for gasoline or diesel about 2 $ for one liter then you I think understand this small car idea :) But it looks a little stupid :)
In my country diesel price is 1,2$/liter.