"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
08/31/2018 at 09:00 • Filed to: daily track burn, three wheels good, trike
1
12|
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
08/31/2018 at 09:00 • Filed to: daily track burn, three wheels good, trike | 1
| 12 |
Breaking into the automotive industry is incredibly difficult - getting through all of the regulatory hurdles is near-Sisyphean. As a result, many startup automakers over the years have decided to lose a rear wheel to qualify for the motorcycle rules, especially those looking to make high efficiency vehicles. While some have had success - Morgan comes to mind - many have... not. This post is about those that have not.
So, let’s pick three vaporware three-wheelers. No, none of them will be the Dale. Let’s not talk about the Dale.
Aptera 2e
The !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! was an attempt at an extremely high efficiency two-seat electric vehicle, with aerodynamics usually only seen on light planes. Estimated range was 120 miles (193 km) on a 20 kWh battery (which would imply a downright impressive 1.67 kWh/100 mi, 1.04 kWh/100 km, or about 202 MPGe), with an 82 kW (110 hp) motor driving the front wheels.
Unfortunately, with issues securing Department of Energy loans, lack of investor interest in the Aptera 2e and 2h, and a failed move towards a 4-wheeled model, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , not having sold a single vehicle.
Elio
This is an interesting one, because it’s not actually quite dead yet.
The Elio is an attempt at a low-cost, tandem seat high efficiency vehicle, with a ~55 hp (~41 kW) 3-cylinder gasoline engine driving the front wheels, and claimed efficiency of 84 MPG highway (1.19 gal/100 mi, 2.80 l/100 km). The original price target was $6800, but that’s crept up over the years.
The many, many, many years. Paul Elio has been showing various prototypes of this three-wheel design off since 2008, many of them powered by a clapped out Geo Metro powertrain, although Elio now has their own engine designed by IAV (a German automotive consultancy half-owned by Volkswagen).
Realistically, it isn’t going to happen - the target for an efficient vehicle has moved drastically since 2008 (when the Prius was seen as the pinnacle of efficiency, and this blew its highway efficiency out of the water, for far less money), and they’re not going to get the resources they need to actually put their design into production. So, it goes here.
Ford Cockpit
Who says that startups have to have all the fun, of failing to actually sell a three-wheeler? Ford and Ghia designed the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! as their own high-efficiency concept in 1981, estimated at as high as 95 MPG (1.05 gal/100 mi, 2.48 l/100 km) in the city.
Ultimately, I felt that I had to have a RWD option, for those who don’t want FWD. This is RWD, it’s got a sequential manual transmission, and the engine’s even behind the driver - promising!
...or not.
The engine’s a Vespa PX200 engine. It’s tuned to make 12 horsepower (8.9 kW). It’s fully un-sprung weight.
I couldn’t make the RWD option too good, now, could I? (I thought about putting the Lean Machine here, but it really was too good.)
pip bip - choose Corrour
> bhtooefr
08/31/2018 at 09:02 |
|
dd - Ford
burn - Aptera
t rack - Elio
OPPOsaurus WRX
> bhtooefr
08/31/2018 at 09:06 |
|
COCKpit. Yea I’d DD that, I’d track that. screw the others, I’m gunna drive that thing everywhere. After I slap on a Turbo so it actually moves.
CalzoneGolem
> bhtooefr
08/31/2018 at 09:08 |
|
I’d dd the one that was most comfortable to sit in.
If the Ford is left then I’d track that, otherwise I’d flip a coin.
So Shiney. So Chrome! So Frunky
> bhtooefr
08/31/2018 at 09:08 |
|
Burn the Ford, daily the Aptera, track the Elio. The Ford is meh in almost all things. An electric should be used for commuting for obvious range and charge reasons, and the Elio has turbo potential, let me explain.
I worked on the Elio engine for IAV, the consulting company who designed the engine for them. The cylinder bores of that engine were left thick in anticipation of a later turbo version because we knew damn well that Elio wouldn’t have the money to design a whole new engine if they wanted to add boost so it was over built from the onset. That thing could have run at 200hp all day so track that shit!
Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
> bhtooefr
08/31/2018 at 09:38 |
|
Burn the Ford Cock...pit, daily the Aptera (because 2 seats and a BEV like this would be suited for commuting
), track the Elio (single seat and has the most power).
Party-vi
> bhtooefr
08/31/2018 at 09:43 |
|
Daily: Ford Cockpit so I can live out my late ‘80s/early ‘90s Sci-Fi Action fantasy of future commuting ala Robo Cop or Judge Dredd.
Track: Aperta, because 100hp and those sweet sweet swoopy lines.
Burn: the enclosed bike with training wheels on the front.
punkgoose17
> bhtooefr
08/31/2018 at 09:58 |
|
Daily: Aptera
Track: Ford; can I engine swap it?
Burn: Elio
|
bhtooefr
> punkgoose17
08/31/2018 at 10:50 |
|
As long as it’s within the classic Vespa family (including the LML 4-strokes used on the Genuine Stella) , the engine is fair game, as is modifying it . Keep in mind that it’s unsprung weight, though.
|
bhtooefr
> bhtooefr
08/31/2018 at 10:53 |
|
My own answers, for what it’s worth:
Daily the Aptera, duh
Track the Elio - it’s a better package for this than the Cockpit, and the comments from So Shiney. So Chrome! So Frunky on the engine make me think it’s actually really promising here. Even if it wasn’t... the Geo engines they were using before have modification potential.
Burn the Cockpit - a 2-stroke mounted on the rear wheel makes it not a great daily, and makes it a bad track car, even if it is rear wheel drive.
|
bhtooefr
> Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
08/31/2018 at 11:02 |
|
All three are two-seaters (the Cockpit and Elio are tandem seating) , and the Aptera has the most power stock (but apparently the Elio engine was overbuilt to handle a turbo in the future).
|
Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
> bhtooefr
08/31/2018 at 11:23 |
|
Well! My universe has just collapsed!
/jk
Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz)
> bhtooefr
08/31/2018 at 12:06 |
|
Burn: Elio
Track: Aptera
Daily: Ford*
*Only if engine swap is allowed