Milan, 2024, precisely March. After 8 years (almost) of residence in the most sought after city of Italy I felt the need to equip myself with a means of personal locomotion. Years ago public transport worked slightly better, more and more on time, as well as taxis, more and less expensive.
Moving in Milan through the streets of the center begins to become complicated when work and personal commitments begin to get thick and in the most disparate points of the city. Time is short, as is money. Taxis are expensive and Share Now cars cannot be parked due to lack of space.
So I started thinking about giving myself a gift and calming my anxiety, sometimes FOMO sometimes really justified by too many commitments. A transport of my own. Accomplice also the safety discourse, which in recent years is talked about a lot, I didn’t think it was bad the idea of being more free and independent in the movements, day as well as night when needed.
The electric seemed to me a solution in step with the times, and especially better for travel in the city (at least this is how they hire the magazines). So the solutions were 3:
1) Electric scooter
2) Smart electric
3) Electric quadricycle
Obviously, they all wanted to occupy as little space as possible in the parking lots, so as to find it first. Electric scooters seem tempting, brands like Askoll begin to be super present in the city, but perhaps not too safe solution, given the hysteria of motorists in Milan.
@insella.it Askoll XKP70, elettrico e superpratico . . . #askoll #askollxkp #scooterelettrico #scooterelectrico #scooter #insella #moto #urbanmobility ♬ suono originale - inSella.it
The second solution, although the best, was too expensive. So the third, an electric quadricycle, quickly got on the podium. On the market there are several products, but I have focused on 3 of these: Citröen Ami, FIAT Topolino and the Swiss Microlino.
@fjonacakalli Sembra uscita da un cartone animato 😳🚗 #microlino #fjonacakalli #drivingfjona #techprincess #auto #car #cars #fyp #carsoftiktok #tiktokitalia #tiktokmotori #automotive #microcar #voituresanspernis ♬ suono originale - Fjona Cakalli 👑
Ami has been seen for years and all owners give a positive opinion. The Microlino, with a hyper futuristic design, is very expensive for what it offers. So in the head the brand new FIAT Topolino caught my attention.
@quattroruoteit Fiat Topolino | Questa è la Topolino, la microcar elettrica pensata per la città. Trazione anteriore, 8 CV, 485 kg, 45 km/h di velocità massima - come previsto dal Codice della Strada — e 75 km d'autonomia. A bordo trovano spazio due persone e il necessario per le vostre commissioni quotidiane; come sull'Ami, la portiera lato guidatore si apre al contrario, mentre lato passeggero si apre in maniera tradizionale. Dentro non ci sono tanti comfort, perché questa non è un'automobile bensì un quadriciclo leggero: riparametriamo le nostre aspettative ed accontentiamoci di riscaldamento e supporto per il nostro smartphone. E voi, scegliereste la Topolino per muovervi in città? Continua nel nostro canale YouTube e su Quattroruote.it @alessiofrassinetti #quattroruote #qspecial #fiat #topolino #quadriciclo #e ♬ suono originale - Quattroruote
Ordered online only, to buy it I did exactly the same steps that you go through in a classic e-commerce. Comparing a car or a pair of shoes, therefore, to date is totally the same, if not for the bill, of course. To the incredulous eyes and ears of the people I told I tried this buying experience that will end in 3 months with the arrival of the car.
It would be interesting to understand what will happen in the future. Will it be customary to buy apartments online? There are already Beta platforms that allow it. Will it be possible to do a test drive with artificial intelligence or, in fact, visit the apartment without moving from home or the office?
Illustration by Gloria Dozio - Acrimònia Studios
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