Ladies First

Some underground garages in Europe have designated spots for women to park in . These spaces are well lit, near to exits and are covered by security cameras. I found the example above in St Moritz, Switzerland. Occasionally municipalities invite scorn by creating what are viewed as discriminatory parking rules, as did Triberg, Germany when it designated "difficult" spots for men's use. More here.

Kamoo Smile

Kamoo is a Swiss electric car company that offers a variety of models for sale. This funky looking"Smile" is a two seater with a top speed of 110 kph (68 mph). It takes just 90 minutes to charge and comes with either a hard top or targa top, seen above. Read more here.

Swiss Efficiency

In Lucerne, Switzerland I photographed these three fortwos  that belong to Rebasmen Elecktroplan, a company that creates "ecologically sound electrical engineering systems". See their website for more info.

Autolib "Libre Comme L'air" electric car sharing

• cars share program started in 2011 in Paris
• Bluecar is a front wheel drive electric four-seater hatchback with a  basic interior
• 1,800 Bluecars are available at 670 kiosks in Paris
• the 660 pound (300 kg) lithium ion batteries are made in Brittany and Montreal
• vehicle range is 155 mi (250 km) in urban use and 93 mi (150 km) on highway
• more than 40,000 people have joined the car share system

Read about it on Autolib's website

smart parking in Paris

You can see fortwos on lots of street corners of Paris, parked where not many other vehicles can fit. The Renault Twizy and Fiat 500 can do the same. This fourfour I spotted is actually resting on the bumper of the fortwo behind it.

Renault Twizy

Production of this two-seater electric vehicle started in 2012 at the Renault plant in Valladoid, Spain. In Europe it's classified as a heavy quadcycle and it has a 100nkm or 62 mile range. Read more on Wikipedia or the Renault UK website

This Twizy belongs to the Château of Versailles and is ideal for driving its 7 ha or 17 acre grounds.

I photographed this Twizy on the Rue de Lisbonne, Paris.