Sir Clive Sinclair believes that the future lies in personal flying cars, and despite often being remembered for the C5 electric car failure he has pioneered a number of impressive designs. In fact, looking at the current wave of electric car designs, it might be fair to say that he was just a little too far ahead of his time.
With rising tax, petrol, and oil prices, as well as a greater understanding of how emissions are damaging the environment, an albeit cooler version of the C5 may prove a success where cycle lanes exist.
The C5 doesn’t require a license, because it only achieves a top speed of 15mph and anybody over the age of 14 can drive one. Add a new, more efficient battery, that takes less than 8 hours to charge and runs longer, and the miniature electric car really could take off.
Sir Clive has no plans to resurrect the C5 just yet, though. Plans to resurrect the Zike, which was an electric bike that faced an equally dismal popularity in 1992, may be more likely. When interviewed by the BBC he said that he would “need huge success in the electric bike field” before he converted his efforts into creating a Bond style flying car.
