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Electric sports car only has three wheels for some reason
Something about environmentally friendly cars makes designers go kind of crazy, assuming that if someone is forward-thinking enough to buy an electric car they probably won't mind if it looks like it was designed by someone with ADD in the year 2034.
Here's a perfect example: the ZAP Alias. While it's an electric sports car that can go from 0 to 60 in 5.7 seconds and with a top speed of 156 miles per hour, it also has three wheels for some reason. And the single wheel is in the back. I'm sure that losing that extra wheel lowers the weight of the car or something, but come on. You wouldn't see a real car company pulling something like that.
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By dependent on Iranian oil at 12:40 PM ON 02/11/08
NO KIDDING. Your comment is 100% on the mark. As one who has been chomping at the bit for a pragmatic electric vehicle (you know, one that actually functions like a ...car?)I can tell you I've had my fill of $120,000 rockets, 2-seaters in tandem and 3-wheelers. By the time somebody makes a real car, our fate as a 3rd-world country will already have been decided at the Iran-China summit.
By Clean Transport at 1:16 PM ON 02/11/08
The Alias' three-wheel construction actually allows it to be classified as a motorcycle, thus bypassing many of the car safety regulations that would add weight and slow down production. Not that hard to understand, really.
By Pocket-Rocket at 3:12 PM ON 02/11/08
"You wouldn't see a real car company pulling something like that."
Then again ZAP is not a real car company. ZAP is a basically scooter dealer trying to break into the electric car business. I congratulate ZAP for the effort. Hope them great success.
By Bacon117 at 5:35 PM ON 02/11/08
Actually a 3 wheeled vehicle has better handeling characteristics that a 4 wheeled. It has a much lower polar moment of inertia, which will allow it to turn much easier. This is assuming the mojority of the weight is on the front wheels.
By surfengm at 12:27 AM ON 02/12/08
yo if i could afford it i would definitely get one
By drivin98 at 6:29 AM ON 02/12/08
As "Clean Transport" stated, the Alias is configured this way to get around expensive crash testing requirements.
I wish them success but I wouldn't believe any performance numbers about a drawing.
By robnews at 12:05 PM ON 02/12/08
You first comment guys are so lame. And just why should you move your fat ass to the mall or favorite grease pit AND 3500 extra lbs of steel? What a waste of resources. Just like your thinking. Good on these companies for forcing new ideas, whether they succeed or not. Had your fill of 3 wheelers indeed. Can't even buy the dam things yet.
By prof pi at 4:02 PM ON 02/12/08
Three wheelers have a long and successful history (see the website www.3wheelers.com); This is the sort of innovative thinking needed to battery EV's on the streets of the US. Now if we're just smart enough to also install solar panels to charge the batteries we'll really have something.
By Streetcar Eddie at 7:58 AM ON 02/13/08
Do I have to register it as a Motorcycle?