User:Prioryman/Sinclair C5
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Sinclair C5 is a small one-person battery electric vehicle, technically an "electrically assisted pedal cycle".[1] (Although widely described as an "electric car", Sinclair characterised it as a "vehicle, not a car".[2]) It was the culmination of Sir Clive Sinclair's long-running interest in electric vehicles. Sinclair had made a fortune from the Sinclair Research range of home computers in the early 1980s and hoped to repeat his success in the electric vehicle market, which he saw as ripe for a new approach. The C5 emerged from an aborted project to produce a Renault Twizy-style electric car called the C1. After a change in the law prompted by lobbying from bicycle manufacturers, Sinclair developed the C5 as an electrically-powered tricycle with a polypropylene body and a chassis designed by Lotus Cars.
Sinclair C5 | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Overview | |
Manufacturer | Sinclair Vehicles |
Production | 1985 |
Assembly | Merthyr Tydfil, Wales |
Body and chassis | |
Class | Battery electric vehicle |
Layout | Tricycle |
Powertrain | |
Electric motor | 250 W (0.34 hp) |
Battery | 12 V lead-acid battery |
Range | 20 miles (32 km) |
Dimensions | |
Wheelbase | 1,304 mm (51.3 in) |
Length | 1,744 mm (68.7 in) |
Width | 744 mm (29.3 in) |
Height | 795 mm (31.3 in) |
Kerb weight | 30 kg (66 lb) without battery, approx. 45 kg (99 lb) with battery |
It was launched on 10 January 1985 to a less than enthusiastic reception from the British media. Its sales prospects were blighted by poor reviews and safety concerns expressed by consumer and motoring organisations. The vehicle's limitations – a short range, a maximum speed of only 15 miles per hour (24 km/h), a battery that ran down quickly and a lack of weatherproofing – made it impractical for most people's needs. It was marketed as an alternative to cars and bicycles, but ended up appealing to neither group of owners, and it was not available in shops until several months after its launch. Within three months of the launch, production had been slashed by 90%. Sales never picked up despite Sinclair's optimistic forecasts and production ceased entirely by August 1985. Out of 14,000 C5s made, only 5,000 were sold before its manufacturer, Sinclair Vehicles, went into receivership.
The C5 became known as "one of the great marketing bombs of postwar British industry"[3] and a "notorious ... example of failure".[4] Although Sinclair intended it to be the first in a series of increasingly ambitious electric vehicles, development of the followup C10 and C15 electric cars never got further than the drawing board. Despite its commercial failure, the C5 went on to become a cult item for collectors. Thousands of unsold C5s were purchased by investors and sold for hugely inflated prices – as much as £5,000, compared to the original retail value of £399. Enthusiasts have established owners' clubs and some have modified their vehicles substantially, adding monster wheels, jet engines and high-powered electric motors to propel their C5s at speeds of up to 150 miles per hour (240 km/h).