Stanford students unveil master's thesis electric car, the W.E.N.G.

If you want a lightweight electric car, why not strip out all of the unnecessary bits. You know, things like a roof, the windshield and those pesky doors. That's the idea behind the the "W.E.N.G." (which stands for "Where Everyone Needs to Go"), a master's thesis project by a group of student at Stanford University who designed and build the car in about 10 weeks. The car (make that "car") will be on display on the Stanford campus tonight and the students will use the time to ask why people think they need big, heavy cars in all situations. John Stanfield, a product design graduate student, asked the local TV news ABC7 reporter, "Why are people driving 4,000 to 6,000 pound internal combustion cars to the grocery store?"

The numbers for the W.E.N.G. don't make us think it'll be a huge hit for any but those who live in sunny and dry areas: a range of 20 miles (maybe 50 in a potential $10,000 production version) and a top speed of at least 35 miles per hour. A neighborhood electric vehicle this is not, but it's close. If you happen to be at Stanford and snap some pictures of the W.E.N.G., feel free to share them with us. This thing looks like dangerous fun. Thanks to Brian N. For the tip!

[Source: ABC7]

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