[Behemoth]

There is a new global trend which is catching on in several markets and a new category of vehicle which has been reinvented.
This is the 3 wheel reverse trike vehicles in electric format and often in Open air configuration. Some good recent examples of this design are as below. Which of these designs do you like the most and what price would someone be willing to pay for such a car in India? Ideally for India, what seating configuration would be ideal, 1+1 or 2+2 and would 3 wheels be fine or 4 wheels? Somehow 4 wheels would make this too much like a Quadricycle (Like the Bajaj Qute) and take away the fun factor. Which car from the below list do you think embodies the future of 3 wheel electric transportation?
(I am not considering the traditional trike format - the erickshaw design as that is just boring and no individual would possibly like to take that kind of a vehicle for personal use!)

1) Vanderhall Electric Edison 2




2) Aptera

https://youtu.be/HNjUdTJjiNk

3) Solo





4) Arcimoto







5) PSA design





6) Toyota Iroad



7) Viu Concept



8) Sondors electric

https://youtu.be/ng3P52Ql4IU

And Lastly our own local duckling the Strom R3 !



Would you buy such a vehicle at say 4.5 lacs and what would the key features be? (Realistically! )

Look forward to your views!

[GutsyGibbon]

I have made a reservation for Aptera. My commute is 3 miles, and I dont want to ever charge the vehicle I use to commute. Aptera will charge upto 40 miles while standing in the parking lot for 8 hours. Their factory is in my backyard, and I am very excited for them. For a first day Tesla Model 3 reservation holder, this is natural progression.

[ajayc123]

Originally Posted by GutsyGibbon

I have made a reservation for Aptera. My commute is 3 miles, and I dont want to ever charge the vehicle I use to commute. Aptera will charge upto 40 miles while standing in the parking lot for 8 hours. Their factory is in my backyard, and I am very excited for them. For a first day Tesla Model 3 reservation holder, this is natural progression.

I saw the Aptera video posted by the OP. Very impressed by the use of Math and engineering to reduce aerodynamic drag to almost zero. Lot of focus on sustainability and right to repair. Sounds nice. Hope they scale well.

The shape looks like a dolphin, quite cute I would say.

When are you getting your Aptera and what's the price?

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by ajayc123

When are you getting your Aptera and what's the price?

The one with 250mi range costs $26k. Deliveries expected in 2023.

But, I expect it to cost $35k and hopefully delivery in 2024.

[GutsyGibbon]

I had been to the Fully Charged Show that was held in San Diego this weekend. I got a chance to chat with the designers of Aptera, and other volunteer ambassadors of Aptera. It's an awesome EV.

I got to test ride/drive the Harley Davidson Live Wire, and couple other 3 wheelers.

Aptera




Test drive of Electra Mechanica Solo


Arcimoto FUV

[Behemoth]

Great to see some good developments on this thread! I feel that this segment has significant potential globally but is currently underserved and misunderstood. Once we have good , safe, fast and reliable options for personal buyers, It can take off well.
This category also has potential for some really ground breaking designs and the benefit of a reverse trike platform is very good stability at even higher speeds compared to the conventional trike layout. Another key benefit is that the drive can be through the single rear wheel and there is no need for any differential. The vehicles can be made very light 300-400kg and that is where the design can be practical as an EV compared to a conventional 4 wheeler Ev.
These vehicles should also be more fun to drive.

[ajayc123]

One thing that amuses me is that all the 3 wheelers in this thread have 1 wheel at the back, and two wheels in the front? On the contrary all 3 wheelers in India have two wheels at the back and one in the front. Why the respective design choices?

[mohanphadnis]

Originally Posted by ajayc123

One thing that amuses me is that all the 3 wheelers in this thread have 1 wheel at the back, and two wheels in the front? On the contrary all 3 wheelers in India have two wheels at the back and one in the front. Why the respective design choices?

Putting a single wheel on front means your steering geometry is simpler. Plus if you pass the drive to the same front wheel (like the old force tempos). Then you can keep the rear wheels independently suspended from the frame and things will work just fine. So mechanically a single wheel upfront is way more simple.

I dont know the precise reasons why aptera went single wheel on the back.

[ajayc123]

I sense that 2 wheels are chosen depending on the nature of transmission. These examples are similar to front wheel drive vehicles, so that's where 2 wheels and transmission goes.

Indian examples like autos are equivalent of rear wheel drive.

[Cresterk]

Originally Posted by ajayc123

One thing that amuses me is that all the 3 wheelers in this thread have 1 wheel at the back, and two wheels in the front? On the contrary all 3 wheelers in India have two wheels at the back and one in the front. Why the respective design choices?

One is way cheaper and easier to make while the other handles much better and goes much faster safely. Take a guess which is which.

[tilt]

Originally Posted by ajayc123

One thing that amuses me is that all the 3 wheelers in this thread have 1 wheel at the back, and two wheels in the front? On the contrary all 3 wheelers in India have two wheels at the back and one in the front. Why the respective design choices?

Two in the front one in the back is called "tadpole trike".

One in the front two in the back is called "delta trike".

Delta trikes are very unstable and can topple even in the slightest turns. You can watch the Top Gear episode featuring Jeremy Clarkson with the Reliant Robin. It is just plain physics. Weight transfer happens to a place where there's nothing to transfer the weight to other than air, so the vehicle topples in that direction.

Tadpole trikes are very stable for the exact same physics reason. They can be thrown about; one can do donuts with them, plus no need for a differential on the driven axle.

Cheers