ABSTRACT
The Ridek concept turns out to have unexpected advantages and economies that combine to render the battery electric vehicle potentially competitive, using off-the-shelf components. Just as the early car-makers had to realise that they were not making horseless carriages but a new form of transportation, so must the Ridek maker realise that this is a new class of vehicle, not to be restricted by mind-sets based on form rather than function. The Ridek, on the other hand, was conceived with urban driving, convenience and utility in mind. An important feature of the Ridek design is that it lends itself to local manufacture and, therefore, the support of local industry. Ridek joins a file of Modeks charging themselves from conducting rails beneath. The production of Rideks through local manufacture and entrepreneurship in various regions or cities could lead to Ridon–Modek incompatibility with advances made in one city overlooked by others.
