c0mp13x
05-29-2008, 06:10 PM
Short piece on the Typ-1 with a video test drive and pictures: Three-wheelers have designs on sportiness, safety (http://www.latimes.com/classified/automotive/highway1/la-hy-throttle2jan02,0,2409163.story)
Three-wheelers have designs on sportiness, safety
By SUSAN CARPENTER
January 2, 2008
Used to be that a three-wheeled motorcycle, or trike, meant one wheel in front, two in back. Then Can-Am sped onto the market with its snowmobile-esque Spyder, a three-wheeler that gave the segment a sporty makeover by putting the two wheels out front. In the year since the Spyder's unveiling, the three-wheeled segment is growing faster than a center fielder on steroids, with a number of new models coming to market throughout 2008. We take a sneak peek at the year's three-wheeled future.
Aptera Typ-1
The Aptera Typ-1 isn't easy to classify. It has three wheels, so it's registered as a motorcycle, but it has a steering wheel and seats two, so it feels more like a car. It's also electric. And did we mention it looks something like a dolphin?
The goal for this Carlsbad start-up was to make a passenger vehicle that has the same drivability, stability and safety characteristics as an automobile, only with higher energy efficiency, lower weight and fewer governmental hurdles than a company would encounter as a small-scale manufacturer of four-wheel vehicles.
The result is a future-is-now vehicle that's spacious, stylish, comfortable, eco-conscious, high-tech and so unusual looking that at one point during my time with the Typ-1, all the cars and pedestrians within a one-block radius were staring and/or snapping pictures.
Because the Typ-1 is a prototype, I wasn't able to drive it myself, but I did take a ride in the passenger seat. I just opened the DeLorean-type door, slid into the mod, green-and-white interior, closed the door behind me and strapped on my seat belt. Aptera Chief Executive and co-founder Steve Fambro turned the key to fire up the electric motor, pressed the pedal with the plus sign on the floor to accelerate, and we were off.
According to Fambro, the Typ-1 is capable of 80 mph and could travel up to 70 miles on a single charge while sustaining that speed, but he never took it up that fast and we didn't travel anywhere near that far as we cruised SoCal suburbia. The fastest we went was probably 45 mph, at which it felt stable. Taking corners, we went even slower, so I couldn't tell how it handled, but Fambro says the Typ-1 has been "designed for natural stability" and incorporates a traction control system that, in theory, can handle a 1G circle on par with a Honda Civic.
Riding in the Typ-1 is sort of like being in a high-tech fishbowl. There's incredible visibility from all sides except the back, which is equipped with a rear-view camera that displays whatever's happening behind the vehicle on a trio of computer screens.
The center of each of those three screens also displays the vehicle's speed, voltage and power, while a touch screen at the center of the dash controls the navigation system, stereo and other gauges, such as the odometer and temperature reading.
The Typ-1 is unusual for any number of reasons, the most notable being the body. Its water-worthy shape is formed from high-tech fiberglass that isn't just lighter than steel but 10 times stronger, according to Fambro. The Typ-1 has yet to be crash tested, but Fambro says the crumple zone on the Typ-1 is longer than that of a typical car, and the crush strength of the roof and side doors is stronger than what's been mandated for a regular passenger vehicle.
(article continues with reviews of several other three-wheelers, see link at the top of this post):happy0025:
Three-wheelers have designs on sportiness, safety
By SUSAN CARPENTER
January 2, 2008
Used to be that a three-wheeled motorcycle, or trike, meant one wheel in front, two in back. Then Can-Am sped onto the market with its snowmobile-esque Spyder, a three-wheeler that gave the segment a sporty makeover by putting the two wheels out front. In the year since the Spyder's unveiling, the three-wheeled segment is growing faster than a center fielder on steroids, with a number of new models coming to market throughout 2008. We take a sneak peek at the year's three-wheeled future.
Aptera Typ-1
The Aptera Typ-1 isn't easy to classify. It has three wheels, so it's registered as a motorcycle, but it has a steering wheel and seats two, so it feels more like a car. It's also electric. And did we mention it looks something like a dolphin?
The goal for this Carlsbad start-up was to make a passenger vehicle that has the same drivability, stability and safety characteristics as an automobile, only with higher energy efficiency, lower weight and fewer governmental hurdles than a company would encounter as a small-scale manufacturer of four-wheel vehicles.
The result is a future-is-now vehicle that's spacious, stylish, comfortable, eco-conscious, high-tech and so unusual looking that at one point during my time with the Typ-1, all the cars and pedestrians within a one-block radius were staring and/or snapping pictures.
Because the Typ-1 is a prototype, I wasn't able to drive it myself, but I did take a ride in the passenger seat. I just opened the DeLorean-type door, slid into the mod, green-and-white interior, closed the door behind me and strapped on my seat belt. Aptera Chief Executive and co-founder Steve Fambro turned the key to fire up the electric motor, pressed the pedal with the plus sign on the floor to accelerate, and we were off.
According to Fambro, the Typ-1 is capable of 80 mph and could travel up to 70 miles on a single charge while sustaining that speed, but he never took it up that fast and we didn't travel anywhere near that far as we cruised SoCal suburbia. The fastest we went was probably 45 mph, at which it felt stable. Taking corners, we went even slower, so I couldn't tell how it handled, but Fambro says the Typ-1 has been "designed for natural stability" and incorporates a traction control system that, in theory, can handle a 1G circle on par with a Honda Civic.
Riding in the Typ-1 is sort of like being in a high-tech fishbowl. There's incredible visibility from all sides except the back, which is equipped with a rear-view camera that displays whatever's happening behind the vehicle on a trio of computer screens.
The center of each of those three screens also displays the vehicle's speed, voltage and power, while a touch screen at the center of the dash controls the navigation system, stereo and other gauges, such as the odometer and temperature reading.
The Typ-1 is unusual for any number of reasons, the most notable being the body. Its water-worthy shape is formed from high-tech fiberglass that isn't just lighter than steel but 10 times stronger, according to Fambro. The Typ-1 has yet to be crash tested, but Fambro says the crumple zone on the Typ-1 is longer than that of a typical car, and the crush strength of the roof and side doors is stronger than what's been mandated for a regular passenger vehicle.
(article continues with reviews of several other three-wheelers, see link at the top of this post):happy0025: