Another one goes in the dustbin of EV history

[ShadeTreeMech]

The best thing about a 3 wheeler would be a reduction of weight. That and being able to be closer to the ideal tear drop drag reduction shape. And less rolling resistance.

Tadpole trikes are becoming more and more popular, and with fuel prices remaining higher, it would make sense for trikes to become more common. The nice thing about a reverse trike is the simplicity of taking a front wheel drive car, lopping off a wheel, shrinking down the body, and incresing fuel mileage. Not much r&d required for the drivetrain that way.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

Trike conversions seem to enjoy healthy sales in spite of their ridiculous pricing.

They're not intended as car replacements, minus one wheel, but rather as stand-ins for motorcycles, plus one wheel.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by ShadeTreeMech

The best thing about a 3 wheeler would be a reduction of weight.

But how much lighter will it really be ?

The single wheel needs to carry a bigger load and handle the power on its own, so it's going to be heavier and wider than any one of 4 wheels.

That bigger load is not spread over 2 points, but concentrated in 1 area, increasing the structural demands and weight.

Edison 2 VLC isn't even half the weight on 4 wheels.

That and being able to be closer to the ideal tear drop drag reduction shape.

The Aptera doesn't really use that, but remains wide at the rear instead (a thin, but wide edge).

And less rolling resistance.

RR is a function of weight, so you're not anywhere near to reducing RR by 1/4th by removing 1 out of 4 wheels.


The gains seem marginal compared to the issues a 3-wheeled lay-out brings along.