The anti-Tesla from Switzerland: Two boys want to make off with an electric speedster

It feels like déjà vu. Two radiant young men, the brothers Merlin and Oliver Ouboter, are waiting at the headquarters in Küsnacht ZH. More than twenty years ago I visited entrepreneur Ouboter in Küsnacht: the father of the two young men. He was full of energy and entrepreneurial spirit – just like his sons are today.

I’m looking for my interview with Wim Ouboter on my mobile at the time. “How a Dreamer Became a Millionaire” was the title. It was about his invention, the scooter, those foldable scooters that began to shape the inner cities around 2000 – and that poured millions of francs into the company’s coffers.

The first question in the interview was: “Your two sons, aged 5 and 6, must be very proud of you and your invention…”, to which Ouboter replied: “They especially know what their father does when he is not at home. He has kickboards. to build.”

Now the two boys are 27 and 28 years old, and instead of kickboards they build cars. Merlin and Oliver Ouboter never speak of “car”, but of “Microlino”. This is a car category in itself, somewhere between a motorcycle and a car, a logical development after kickboards and e-scooters, they explain: A two-seater with an electric motor that stands out for its design, which arouses amazement and oooh effects in passers-by. We will soon convince ourselves of that.

A car that doesn’t want to be one

“This is not a car” was the slogan with which the prototype was presented in 2016. Marketing is everything. Yet for a long time the general public heard little about this car, which also does not want to be. As a journalist, I should have noticed the launch. She passed me.

But now another father comes into play – mine. I first heard about the Microlino from him, a non-journalist. He surprised me with the news that a funny electric car from Switzerland was planned – and that it had been put on the reservation list. It is the ideal vehicle for short distances in the village and in the surrounding area and the two-seater has room for a grandchild, for example, who can drive to FC training.

That was before the corona pandemic, which delayed the plans of the Microlino founders. But the first copies are now available and the media have received invitations to test drive them.

So I took the train to Küsnacht to pick up – together with my father – a dark blue Microlino. Before we get in, Merlin and Oliver Ouboter tell us how it came about. About the original idea, the many obstacles and setbacks – such as the fact that a company in Italy where they wanted to have the car produced suddenly came out with a “copy” of their model. Energy-consuming legal disputes resulted.

The ambition of the entrepreneurial duo is great. In addition to my father, more than 35,000 other people have reserved or even pre-ordered a car. They come not only from Switzerland, but also in large numbers from Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain. The first 200 vehicles produced near Turin have already been delivered, of which 4,500 to 5,000 will be produced this year.

The brothers get to work when they talk about it. They not only have an entrepreneurial, but also an ecological drive. They say that the footprint of a Microlino is ten times smaller than that of a Tesla because the vehicle is much smaller and lighter. Current electric cars are much too big for the most traveled distances. In addition, they calculate that on average only 1.2 people would be in a car.

Merlin and Oliver Ouboter commute daily from their apartment in Zurich-Hardbrücke to their shop in Küsnacht. Oliver even went on vacation with his girlfriend in the Microlino – to Italy.

Explained in five minutes

While we listen to the young entrepreneurs, it starts to snow outside. We make it to the Microlino on the coldest day of this winter of all time. The practical introduction takes five minutes: How do you open the door that does not open to the side but to the front? (With a small button under the headlight.) How do you accelerate? (Like a vending machine.) How do you call up which information on the display? (Everything speaks for itself.)

We don’t turn on the heating for the time being – for fear that it would drain the battery too quickly. It is free. We’ll start warming up soon. We drive a prototype with a range of 170 kilometers; with the latest model that is already 230 kilometers.

At the first thresholds it is quite bumpy. As we accelerate out of town to 60 kilometers per hour, it roars before, interestingly enough, quietens down again. And you have to hit the brakes harder than usual.

But we quickly get used to that. Driving is fun even in the snow because of Zurich’s rush hour traffic. On Google Maps we have set «Avoid Autobahn» because the speed limit is 90 km/h. In return, passers-by wink at us at the crossing, sometimes even waving. The design looks timelessly modern, although (or because) it is based on the legendary BMW Isetta, which made waves in the 1950s.

35 kilometers later we arrived safely at our destination, but there is a problem. How do we get out? The button to open the front door is well concealed. We are trapped in the small cubicle, two spectators outside enjoying themselves watching us. Then the saving idea: push open the window, reach out with your hand and press the button we used to open the door from the outside!

Of course, things like that only happen the first time. The little blue has charm, but will it be a big hit like the kickboards, which have sold 90 million copies? Certainly not in quantity. A Microlino does not cost 100 francs, but 15,000 francs (basic model). But an ecological city car, the trunk of which fits three crates of beer, certainly touches the nerves of this time. In any case, the Ouboter brothers are convinced that they will soon really get off the ground. (aargauerzeitung.ch)