The Indy One

[nimblemotors]

Starting a new thread.

This man in his garage is going to take on Toyota and Tesla with this electric kit car. It is a car Toyota won't build (hydrogen) and Tesla can't build (public company profits), and Elio Motors isn't building (Lies and Fossil Fueled).

This vehicle is all about Independence.
Independance from Big Oil, Big Corporations, Big Government, and Billionaires, all of whom try to limit you.
It is taking back control and finding the value in U.S. Workers.

It will be sold as a kit car. A car you can build yourself with your own labor, or have someone else nearby build for you. It has three wheels and is considered a motorcycle in most all US states, making it independent of highly regulated cars. It recycles parts from a Prius, of which millions have been made.
It is ightweight and aerodynamic so it uses less resources,
needing much less battery capacity than other EVs, which means less weight, less cost, faster charging.
It is optimized for the majority of driving with a single driver, yet still can seat two people.

Unlike other efforts that promise big profits to investors, raise millions of dollars, then spend millions of dollars, price the vehicle very high...and then declare bankruptcy, I am taking a much different path.
Raise very little money. Sell the car with very little profit.
Because it isn't about profits, it is about changing the way we do things. Reducing consumption and declaring independence.

http://the-indy-one.com

[nimblemotors]

Here is another peek preview at the front of the car.
While originally planned to have a traditional hood, I've decided to make it a one piece front end, similiar to the C4 corvette, which eliminates all the seams, and will make it easier, faster, and cheaper to build.
More work to do, but it is getting closer to 'good enough',
of which I consider 'Good Enough is Perfect'.

[MobilOne]

I believe that I have read where Toyota is working on a hydrogen fueled car.

[MetroMPG]

Subscribed for future updates.

Years ago, one of the established members of the EVDL began developing a 4-seater, very aero kit car EV with a fiberglass body and center tunnel battery pack, based on a commonly available chassis & major components. They put a TON of work into it, but ultimately I think it was de-railed by ... the apperance of relatively affordable OEM EV's (Nissan Leaf, etc).

If you like aero styling, it was a stunner.

The Sunrise EV2 Project

[cosmick]

Cool, but not cool enough to give up 0-60 in under 3 seconds for.

[nimblemotors]

Yep, another one that went nowhere.

My opinion back then and is still true today, is there is no shortage of 4-wheel cars to convert to electric, there isn't much point to create yet another one. The aero is great on the sunrise, but aero mods on existing cars is MUCH easier and better than building one from scratch.

A three-wheeled car however, is significantly smaller lighter and more aerodynamic than existing cars, and THERE ARE NONE to 'convert'.
So it makes sense design and build one from scratch.

It is hard to imagine, but almost a million new cars are built EVERY MONTH, and that means we crush about the same. That is mega wastefulness from a throw-away mentality, which we need to change, and frankly Tesla Motors is just adding to the problem by building new huge luxury cars.
Hey Elon Musket head, we don't need no more stinkin luxury cars for your millionaire friends.
Yes I'm pissed off and not going to sit around and just complain about it anymore.

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Subscribed for future updates.

Years ago, one of the established members of the EVDL began developing a 4-seater, very aero kit car EV with a fiberglass body and center tunnel battery pack, based on a commonly available chassis & major components. They put a TON of work into it, but ultimately I think it was de-railed by ... the apperance of relatively affordable OEM EV's (Nissan Leaf, etc).

If you like aero styling, it was a stunner.

The Sunrise EV2 Project

[nimblemotors]

I have a 91 Geo Metro front suspension in this prototype.
It has 12in steel wheels. I'd be interested if anyone happens to have the stock metro hub caps for the wheels. I had a pair at some point, but can't find them.

Or if someone has some lighter and larger tires and wheels they might suggest.
The wheel wells are more for the 14 or 15 prius wheels, and these 12in wheels look rather small.

[GreenHornet]

I am a big fan of 3 wheeled vehicles in fact I flat out prefer them and is why I have my own projects similar to yours. Good luck with yours and I share your sentiments

[freebeard]

Good luck x2.

Why did you move the driving position so far back, that puts the CG nearer to the narrow end. And I'd put a stress bar across the tops of the Macpherson struts.

You might have a look at Basalt Guru, your source for basalt information and products.. Basalt can be use for the tool mold and the actual part. It's like S-glass for the price of E-glass with low refining costs. There is a comprehensive PDF in the right column and below that MOST RECENT POSTS has a lot of interesting suggestions.

[nimblemotors]

Thanks, I will need all the luck I can get. I bought some Nissan wheels yesterday, and the guys who dropped them off saw the car, and said 'What is that!?' one wanted to invest, the other wanted to buy one asap.

The bad news is the wheels stick out too much. The Geo wheels have only 1 inch of positive offset, these have 2 inches. So I just bought some spare tires rims, they have almost no positive offset. Look very ugly though, gotta fix that.

I am very familiar with Basalt, as I have designed a lightweight concrete house and was going to use basalt rebar, and have thought of using it for my solar boat build. But it is a lot more expensive, just not enough volume and competition to drive the prices down to what fiberglass costs.
And making this car inexpensive to build is a key factor.