Three Wheel

Japanese design studio D-Art seems to be popping up in all the right places. Its design for a robotic exoskeleton arm was demonstrated at the International Robotics Expo in November, with an target retail price US$2500 to US$3000 projected for 2013, and just a fortnight later at the Tokyo Motor Show, it showed an all-electric three wheeler named the “Style.” The 30 kg Style will do around 25 km/h for 20 km, and costs JPY500,000 (around US$6500). Read More

If there is one thing that electric motorcycles are ideal for, it is for ferrying deliveries around congested urban centers quickly and efficiently. And that's just the market Italian-based Adiva has in its sights with the CARGO3 scooter it displayed at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show. Similar to the newly electrified Honda Canopy, the CARGO3 is an all-electric tilting three-wheeler (one front, two rear) that features a rear deck to accommodate an optional rear mounting box, plus a roof, deflectors and wiper-equipped wide windscreen for protection from the elements. Read More

It seems like such a simple concept, something Q might whip up for 007 in the next Bond flick: hook a recumbent electric motorcycle up to a paraglider, drive it off a cliff and see what happens. That's the thinking behind this offering from Serbian designer Zvezdan Nedeljkovic, and while the idea of attaching vehicles to parasails is far from new, there's something about Nedeljkovic's concept design that captures the imagination. Read More

Tilting three- and four-wheelers make a lot of sense - they're almost as narrow and light as motorcycles, and perhaps even more maneuverable, but they offer enormous amounts of grip and stability. There's so many new narrow track vehicle designs sprouting up all over the world right now that it's easy to see them becoming a significant part of the commuting mix in the congested cities of tomorrow. So here's three new designs we spotted at EICMA Milan - one electric four wheeler, a petrol powered three wheeler and an aggressively styled four wheel tilter that seems to have off-road ambitions. Read More

Honda has finally added electric propulsion to one of its most enduring and successful commuter vehicles – the Japan-only three-wheeled scooter. Used extensively throughout Japan's congested urban environment as a commuter and delivery vehicle with a 50cc four-stroke motor, the Honda Canopy (aka Gyro) delivers 100 mpg. Converting the well-protected three wheeler, with its capacious cargo space, to an electric-only vehicle is a no-brainer and is certain to create an insatiable demand in non-domestic markets everywhere. Read More

If you think this smells like a PR stunt, you're right. In an effort to raise awareness about bathroom emissions and water savings, Japanese toilet manufacturer TOTO has created the Toilet Bike Neo Project ... yep, it's a road-going, three-wheeled toilet fueled by "biogas" generated from the toilet waste. Read More

Four years ago, Canadian electronics engineering technologist Nap Pepin decided to buy a kit for a BugE electric vehicle. Not content with its out-of-the-box performance, he swapped in a lithium battery pack, and his own custom battery management system. This boosted its top speed from 80 km/h (50 mph) to 130 km/h (80 mph), and its range from around 48 km (30 miles) to 200 km (125 miles). For his next project, however, he wanted to build an EV from scratch. The result is his 197 km/h (122 mph) three-wheeled Lithium Hawk, which has just taken to the roads. We paid a visit to Nap for a closer look at his impressive machine. Read More

Fans of three-wheeled cars will tell you that the vehicles come in two configurations: delta, with the single wheel in the front, and tadpole, with the single wheel in the back. Well, now there's another type. The prototype Thrustcycle SRT has all three of its wheels in a straight lateral line, and utilizes a mechanical gyroscopic stabilizing system to keep it firmly upright even when standing still. That same system also stores kinetic energy generated by braking, extending the vehicle's range. Read More

Getting about on a bicycle is environmentally friendly, great for your health and cost effective. One drawback – particularly for those learning to ride or for whom balance is an issue – is the instability that comes with being on two wheels at low speeds. Tricycles offer a way to overcome this problem, but three-wheelers have their own set of stability issues when it comes to cornering at higher speeds. Like the Deliver-E Trike we looked at earlier this year, the Swingtrike aims to provide a best of both world solution by employing a tilting design that keeps all wheels on the ground across bumpy terrain and through corners, making it safer – and more fun – than traditional fixed frame trikes. Read More