p2pnet - rss feed: Three-wheeled green machine
OT news / p2pnet: A three-wheeled green machine, a little wider than a motorcycle and specially designed for cities, has been developed in Europe.
Running on compressed natural gas, its fuel consumption is equivalent to 108 miles per gallon (or 2.6 litres per 100 kms), a third of most cars, and it emits only about a third of the carbon dioxide than conventional family cars, say its creators.
Called the CLEVER (Compact Low Emission Vehicle for Urban Transport), it, "combines the safety of a micro-car and the manoeuvrability of a motorbike, while being more fuel-efficient and less polluting than other vehicles," says the University of Bath.
The one metre wide (about three feet) car is a £1.5 million (about $2,675,095) collaborative project involving nine European partners from industry and research, including Bath.
"The three-year international project has produced a tilting three-wheeled vehicle that is fully enclosed and has seats for the driver and a passenger," says a statement.
"Its strengthened frame protects the driver in a crash and the vehicle has a top speed of approximately 60 mph (about 100 kph) and an acceleration of 0-40 mph (60 kph) in seven seconds.
German, French, British and Austrian organisations, including BMW, began work on the project in December 2002 completed it in March this year.
It’s funded by the European Union.
Partners include: the Technische Universitaet Berlin in Berlin, the Institut Francais Du Petrole in Vernaison near Lyon, and the Institut Fuer Verkehrswesen – Universitaet Fuer Bodenkultur, in Vienna.
Matt Barker and Ben Drew, research officers at the University of Bath’s Centre for Power Transmission and Motion Control, developed a novel tilting chassis concept to keep the vehicle stable in corners.
"The vehicle controls the amount of tilt automatically, unlike on a motorcycle where the rider controls how far to tilt the vehicle," says the university.
"The hydraulic active tilt system is electronically controlled to keep the vehicle balanced at all speeds while maintaining car-like steering throughout. The vehicle has an aluminium frame and plastic body work."
The Clever has a top speed of 60mph and will cost from £5,000 (about $8,917) to £10,000 if it makes it into production, says The Times Online.
Geraint Owen, a mechanical engineer from Bath university, said that the Clever had been successfully crash-tested. "
The next step is to get EU funding to create a batch of 100 of the vehicles for trial in European cities," he added
Also See:
University of Bath - Prototype for revolutionary one-metre wide vehicle is developed, April 25, 2006
The Times Online - 60mph green machine may be the answer to city traffic jams, April 25, 2006
