A large part of the popularity is due to the laws in the USA. Powered three wheeled vehicles are considered "Motorcycles" by the Federal government and most states, so they don't need to meet the safety requirements for cars.
Three wheeled bicycles are specified by federal law as bicycles (overrules state laws) and subject to the same rules/restrictins etc. as two wheeled bicycles. 4 wheeled bicycles are not bicycles and aren't legal in some areas. My PGP public key: https://vanderwal.us/evdl_pgp.key September 11, 2022 7:15 AM, "Arnold Ligurs via EV" <ev@lists.evdl.org> wrote: > On Sat, 10 Sep 2022 15:29:10 +0000 > Peri Hartman via EV <ev@lists.evdl.org> wrote: > >> Here are a few small EVs on sale, or about to be available. >> >> https://electrek.co/2022/07/25/nimbus-one-50-mph-electric-vehicle >> single seat, front air back, collision sensors >> >> Arcimoto >> https://www.arcimoto.com/order >> two tandem seats, crush resistant roof same as passenger cars >> >> https://massimoelectric.com/e-spider >> two seats >> (I had an email communication with them a year ago, but can't find the >> thread. What I remember is it is designed for 70mph operation, with >> safety features, but I don't remember if that includes any air bags. >> >> Are people buying them ? I'm very tempted to buy one for in city use. >> Safety is a must-have feature for me, so I'm mostly waiting for someone >> to build one that has more protection, such as for side impact (yes, >> that will make it slightly bigger, but still much smaller than a car). >> It has to be fully enclosed, too, because of weather. >> >> Peri > > All seem quite interesting, but I have never really understood the allure > of this sort of 3 wheel design. > > It is a natural evolution from the traditional bicycle or motorcycle design, > especially when the third wheel is used for steering, and the added width is > available for side by side seating or cargo space. > > However, although this configuration minimizes the vehicle weight by > eliminating > a possible axle and a wheel, it seems to increase wheel contact with potholes > and other road irregularities. > Also, when the front pair of wheels are used for steering, that only increases > the weight of the vehicle, since a more bulky steering mechanism is required. > This design unevenly increases the load and wear on that one tire and wheel, > too. > > Am I the only one that thinks this sort of 3 wheel configuration is not > optimal? > > In some ways it is similar to in-wheel motors that are unsprung weight... > it seems like a great idea, until you have to deal with some of the practical > issues. > > -- > _______________________________________________ > Address messages to ev@lists.evdl.org > No other addresses in TO and CC fields > HELP: http://www.evdl.org/help _______________________________________________ Address messages to ev@lists.evdl.org No other addresses in TO and CC fields HELP: http://www.evdl.org/help/
