Interview Supply chain woes continue to batter the tech industry but that didn’t deter the makers of the diminutive Microlino from introducing a new electric vehicle amid a pandemic and chip shortage.
We last looked at the Microlino in 2021, when the bubble-like electric car was shown off at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Not that the two-passenger (and three beer-crate) Isetta-inspired vehicle would have won any prizes for velocity, thanks to a maximum speed of 90kph.
Still, in a market awash with concepts and dreams that are far from production, the Microlino looked to us to be an intriguingly practical proposition for urban transport.
Sure, with a maximum range of 230km (143 miles) from the biggest battery, it wouldn’t be undertaking any lengthy trips to the country. But for getting about town after four hours spent charging, the little thing has a certain appeal.
Microlino v2 Pic: Microlino AG
As production nears, and the first units look set to roll up outside customer houses in April or May, The Register caught up with company co-founder and CMO Merlin Ouboter about the ups and downs of bringing the vehicle to market.
With the production line taking shape, the biggest problem is all too familiar – getting the parts required. “Apart from the general components such as chips, cells and electronic components,” says Ouboter, “we now also encountered shortages for simple connectors for the…
