The bubble car is back

Meet the D-Face – a 21st century take on the comic cars of the ’50s.

It’s a front-entry, rear-engined bubble car and it’s made its global debut at the Taiwan EV Show.

The four-wheeler D-Face concept has been created by D Art, a company based near
Nagoya, Japan.

The D-Face is a range-extender car powered by a 7kW electric motor, but with a 3kW
petrol generator to double its range from around 95 miles to nearer 190.

It has a top speed of 45mph, meaning it’s only really suitable for city driving,
and its batteries take eight hours to recharge from a 100-volt socket, but less
with a 240-volt supply.

The front entry system, last seen in the 1950s in cars like the Isetta,
Messerschmidt Kabinenroller and Heinkel Kabine, makes entry and exit easier. D Art says the car will meet Japanese crash-test regulations.

Bubble cars were popular in the 1950s following the 1956 Suez crisis and the
threat to oil supplies to Europe. However, they disappeared almost overnight in
1959 – the same year the game-changer that was the Mini was launched.