For those craving speed...

[Clarkey]

Since it is clear that many people have aspirations to a light electric vehicle with more performance that a legal pedelec I thought this might be of interest....(I did search to see if anyone had mentioned it but if it is a repost, I apologise)

<<MEV Ltd>>

It can do 50mph and there are some videos on YouTube (search 'MEV etrike') where it looks like a hoot to drive.

Apparently it was designed with the aim of passing the moped SVA test (limited to 28mph) and can be made road legal. The designer sells plans for £50 and reckons it could be on the road for about £1500.

I wish there was more emphasis on making simple, lightweight, usable vehicles like this rather than trying to electrify 1500Kg 5 seaters and trying to make them match the largely unusable performance of petrol and diesel cars.

 

[Barnowl]

It can do 50mph
QUOTE]

So can Flecc on his bike - I believe..

That's downhill of course but still 50mph. Thinking about it so could I. I just need a longer hill.

The trike looks interesting but not my cup of tea. I like to cycle on the pavement and squeeze past the traffic down the cycle lane at 20+mph as the mood takes me.

 

[Mussels]

The designer sells plans for £50 and reckons it could be on the road for about £1500.

Knowing how much mass produced fairing for motorbikes costs I'd be suprised if £1500 includes the plastics or the other donor parts from motorbikes.
Looks like a fun project that's a lot cheaper and easier than a Caterham, no idea what I would do with it afterwards.

 

[flecc]

45 mph is my best, though it could be bettered on a longer steep hill.

I like the look of this tricar and agree it's a sensible alternative way to develop. The construction makes it look a bit like the Yamaha engined Ariel Atom 4 wheeler sports car.

More to the point though, it's somehow reminiscent of the pre-WW2 Morgan three wheelers, those also intended to bring motoring to a wider audience, using V twin motorcycle engines from JAP and Matchless.
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[Beeping-Sleauty]

45 mph is my best, though it could be bettered on a longer steep hill.

I like the look of this tricar and agree it's a sensible alternative way to develop. The construction makes it look a bit like the Yamaha engined Ariel Atom 4 wheeler sports car.

More to the point though, it's somehow reminiscent of the pre-WW2 Morgan three wheelers, those also intended to bring motoring to a wider audience, using V twin motorcycle engines from JAP and Matchless.
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...Yup... my dad had of those morgan 3 wheelers, brilliant fun, then he had a 'Bubble car'

Bubble car auction: 80 cars up for sale - Telegraph

the one on the far right in this photo, i loved it, so did he.... then he got a proper job, and we had a Sunbeam Rapier coupe.....

preferred the Morgan myself.

 

[Clarkey]

Yes, I really like the look of it. I can see it being a lot of fun.

The comparison with Morgan three wheelers is a good one I think - would be fun to tackle some classic trials sections in it!.

The prototype had fairly good performance with basic SLA batteries, I guess with some more contemporary power packs that very decent range could be obtained albeit at more expense.

 

[flecc]

The prototype had fairly good performance with basic SLA batteries, I guess with some more contemporary power packs that very decent range could be obtained albeit at more expense.

Yes, it could be developed in various guises, with SLA or LiFePO4, as an open job or with some better bodywork with weather protection as a utility vehicle for shopping and other local or moderate length journeys.
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[SEATALTEA]

I would own that and have been watching a similar US but considerably more advanced company for the past couple of years.

Four of us had planned to arrange for them to be purchased in California and shipped to the UK but then the £ crashed against the $ and it became uneconomic. The release date has been delayed again and again

Fly the Road

It is based on the Carver which is Dutch and was well reviewed by Top Gear, they licensed the chassis and tilt system to the yanks for sales in the Americas.

Carver want an arm and a leg for their European version hence our desire to import the version from the 'colonies'.

 

[flecc]

These simple cars offer an opportunity for e-bike companies to upgrade into the car world.

Both BMW and Honda have successfully made both motorcycles and cars, and Honda first went into cars with it's motorcycle knowhow in the Honda N360 and N600 saloons. I owned one of the little N600 cars for a couple of years and great fun it was too, with it's twin cylinder 600cc motorcycle style engine and sequential gearbox.

A manufacturer like Wisper (WEVCO - Wisper Electric Vehicle Co) could similarly step up via a simple three wheeler like the MEV.
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[flecc]

I would own that and have been watching a similar US but considerably more advanced company for the past couple of years.

There's a very similar looking Swiss design with the same banking for corners that has been publicised and which I think is available from stock, though I think it's petrol only and it's terribly expensive. I cant remember the name though.
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[Clarkey]

I would own that and have been watching a similar US but considerably more advanced company for the past couple of years.

Four of us had planned to arrange for them to be purchased in California and shipped to the UK but then the £ crashed against the $ and it became uneconomic. The release date has been delayed again and again

Fly the Road

It is based on the Carver which is Dutch and was well reviewed by Top Gear, they licensed the chassis and tilt system to the yanks for sales in the Americas.

Carver want an arm and a leg for their European version hence our desire to import the version from the 'colonies'.

Well the Carver is certainly well regarded. I don't see why an electric version shouldn't work quite well.

There seem to be a number of 'advanced' concepts like this around but they do seem to struggle with getting out of the 'vapourware' phase. The MEV Trike could probably go through 5 or 6 prototype iterations while these guys are figuring out the technology licence from Carver and pondering over some cool renderings for the website.

The other one that confuses me is the Aptera - how the hell could they get almost to launch before realising that RWD wouldn't wash and that they would have to switch to FWD? How can you have faith in the rest of the design decisions when such a fundamental one has been badly thought through?

 

[eddieo]

I passed a normal looking trike bike in central London this morning at 4.30 am on my way back from work....The reason I noticed it was, it had a massive pair of flashing red lights on the back, it had a white stepthrough frame, may well have been a Kalkhoff but to tell the truth I was going to rapidly to see if it was ab E Bike or not.............