I've long wanted someone to build and sell a dead-simple car like this today. With modern emissions and safety standards, it might well not be possible.
Yeah, I'm familiar with that, and it's very much in the spirit of what I had in mind (though not as much so as the Willys). But note that they lost much of that simplicity in the Europa - the version that meets EU safety and emissions requirements - which ballooned the price from US$2,000 to US$6,000.
in a few years you might be able to build an electric car that is this simple. safety standards will still be an issue, but all you really need is a frame, steering, batteries, 4 wheel hub motors, and a computer.