Sinclair C5 electric car: The future too soon?

Sinclair C5 electric car: The future too soon?
As the automotive world shifts towards electrification, it’s easy to take pity on the much-maligned 1985 Sinclair C5.

Over 17,000 examples of this British-built battery electric vehicle were sold long before climate change dominated the headlines - although the Sinclair C5 is largely remembered as a commercial flop.

The brains of the C5 came from the late English entrepreneur and inventor, Sir Clive Sinclair. He was a pioneer during the early days of the British and European home computing industry, and found success with revolutionary inventions such as the ZX Spectrum.

He was also responsible for success in the British video game industry and brought pocket radios and pocket calculators to the market. Sir Clive’s inventions earned him a knighthood, but they weren’t always successful.

Sir Clive’s success in the field of home computing led to him pursuing his interest in launching an affordable electric vehicle but this innovation would become by far his biggest commercial failure.

Sinclair Vehicles Ltd was formed in 1983 on the back of Sir Clive’s keen interest in EVs. He made a brave and early entry into the field, following an £8.6m investment from the sale of shares in another company, Sinclair Research.

Sir Clive hoped that pent up demand for the Sinclair C5 in a market that previously had not existed would lead to larger EV car projects known as the C10 and eventually the C15 – a four-seater EV capable of reaching a maximum speed of 80 mph. The development of these models sadly never came to fruition – so what went wrong?

Credit - National Motor Museum, Beaulieu

You can imagine the team at Sinclair Vehicles being so positive about the new development – a futuristic three-wheeled vehicle, featuring a body built from polypropylene and a chassis developed by Lotus. There would be no need to develop a new factory as the C5 would be built at the existing Hoover washing machine factory in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales.

The single occupant and driver of the Sinclair C5 would sit in a recumbent position in an open cockpit. Underneath the driver’s knees would be a handlebar that controlled the steering, which also included a power switch, as well as bicycle-style front and rear brake levers.

The occupant’s feet would rest on bicycle-style pedals, that acted as a supplement to electric power. Combined, human power and a 250-watt electric motor would help the C5 to reach a claimed maximum speed of 15 mph and a range of 20 miles.

In the case of Sinclair Vehicles’ first and only production vehicle, not enough research was done to determine if a market for the C5 existed in the first place. In fact, the only time any member of the public was introduced to the prototype C5 was during a focus group involving 63 families from suburban and town environments, aiming to confirm if the vehicle’s handlebar controls were correctly positioned.

The Sinclair C5 media launch took place at London’s Alexandra Palace on 10 January 1985. After the media witnessed six C5s flamboyantly driven around the arena in front of them, they were given the opportunity to drive one for the first time outside. But technology writer, Richard Kennedy, described the experience as ‘an unqualified disaster’.

Not only were the demonstrators’ batteries failing upon the first drive, but journalists were immediately learning the limitations of the battery assistance up the inclines around Alexandra Palace. Lastly, the open cockpit design had revealed the ultimate disadvantage in the British climate, as the launch took place in cold winter conditions.

Credit - National Motor Museum, Beaulieu

During the launch, the director of the Primary Contact advertising agency admitted that the Sinclair C5 project continued all the way to the prototype stage ‘purely on the convictions of Sir Clive.’ The media reacted negatively, mainly surrounding its small size causing a major concern of vulnerability in traffic. Public reactions from teenagers, a key target market, was also negative.

So too was the verdict from motoring organisations, road safety groups, and consumer watchdogs. Sir Clive was furious and threated to sue the British Safety Council (BSC) after it issued a highly critical report after testing the C5 at the Sinclair Vehicles headquarters.

Some positivity came later during the final two launch days at Alexandra Palace. Over 20,000 members of the public reacted positively after trying out the C5 on the test track. Sir Clive gleefully reported that all 2,700 units from the first production run would be sold by the following Monday, though only around 200 C5s had found homes by the end of the weekend.

When the C5 arrived in retail stores at the beginning of March 1985, sales remained weak. By this stage only 100 C5s were being produced every week of a targeted 1,000 – not helped by a short pause in production to account for quality issues. Over 3,000 unsold C5s were piled up in storage at the Hoover factory, with additional unsold stock in 500 retail outlets nationwide.

Sir Clive’s disappointments didn’t end there – a hoped rise in demand from better Spring weather never arrived at home, while similar concerns from safety and council groups abroad put an end to Sir Clive’s expansion plans in overseas markets.

Soon after production officially ended, the Comet retailer had slashed prices of its unsold C5s from £399 to £139.99 to offload the last of the remaining units. Later in 1985, Sinclair Vehicles went into administration.

Today, the Sinclair C5 appears to be finally finding favour. Values for project vehicles start from around £1,000, rising to around £5,000 for ‘new-old stock’ boxed examples. Optional accessories that were rare even when new, such as wing mirrors and high visibility masts, are highly sought after by collectors.

The C5 remains an interesting chapter in the history of electrification and is more endearing than ever today. Not only is it popular with historians, but collectors too. There’s no doubt that the C5 required better planning at the initial concept and research stages, but Sir Clive’s early contribution to the future of zero emissions transport cannot be underestimated.

Perhaps today, with ICE vehicles increasingly under threat in cities and with a drive towards sustainable transport, a reimagined Sinclair C5 could be a success.

Electric conversions of classic cars are a hot topic these days. Read our blog on what popular classics are being converted to EVs.