An Electric Car You Can Buy Today: The $20K TRIAC EV
TRIAC Electric Car. Range: 60-100 Miles. Cost: 2 cents per mile
This little number has been getting some good press lately (see EcoGeek and Inhabit), and for good reason: it’s the first commercially available electric vehicle with a price tag and functionality that could meet the needs of the average city driver (assuming you can afford it).
OK, you aren’t going to fit a family of 5 in there, but that’s not what it’s made for. Green Vehicles, manufacturer of the 3-wheeled TRIAC EV, calls it a “modern freeway commuter,” because the zero-emissions vehicle can reach 80 mph and will get you into the carpool lane with a single driver. Safety-wise, it has a structural steel cage the company says is the “same metal skeleton used in race cars” and a low center of gravity to maintain balance (but surprisingly has no airbags).
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Back at home, it takes about 6 hours to charge the car’s lithium-ion batteries at an estimated cost of about 2 cents per mile. Not a bad deal if you can afford the $20,000 price tag. The company website says the TRIAC EV is currently available at dealerships in San Jose and Mill Valley, California, and should be more widely available in the future..
Final thoughts: to me, it looks like they added an extra wheel to a racing bike and built a canopy around it, which makes it a powerful ride but a lot safer (and a lot greener). Generous State/Federal tax credits would put this car within reach for many more drivers, like the $4,000 Federal credit for electric vehicles that ended in 2006.
Want one of these? Check out the Green Vehicles website.
See more pictures below.
More Posts on Electric Cars:
- Affordable Electric Cars Coming to US in 2009
- Nissan to Sell Electric Cars in US by 2010
- Tesla’s First Electric Vehicle, 2008 Roadster, Now Under Production
- Aptera’s $26,000 Electric Car and 300 MPG Hybrid Coming Soon
I like the idea, Ive even been looking at the T-rex three wheeler as an alternative to high fuel prices. More people will accept the idea in the future when there are less “big” S.U.Vs on the roads. As for people like Thomas he can continue spending half his income on fuel if he wants to, and I’ll keep riding my motorcycle.
I think it looks incredibly elegant, considering what it is. The styling is ultra postmodern, for sure, but sexy, IMHO.
It’s a motorcycle. That’s not a problem, except to those of us without a motorcycle license. Here in southern Ontario, that’s an 18 month graduated process with two roadtests, and no credit given for the fact that you might already hold a valid drivers license (in my case for more than 2 decades). Then we have to insure it as a motorcycle… and in the eyes of the insurance company, we’re newbies and must pay accordingly (in other words, they bend you over and rape your ass.) Yeah I think i’ll wait for something with 4 wheels, thanks.
Another question that needs to be answered is the cost of upkeep.
Motorcycles typically need new tires every 5K miles or less at about $100 each. I don’t have the time to wait at a garage while the change tires every few months.
How long do the batteries last and what’s the cost to replace them and dispose of the old ones?
In most US locales, this would indeed be licensed/sold/registered as a motorcycle. That does not make it a “death trap” (I have ridden motorcycles for 40 years and I am still alive), it does make it less safe than a car. About the only safety regs a motorcycle has to meet is lighting and signalling. That doesn’t mean that such a vehicle couldn’t be designed with airbags, crush protection, seat belts and so on - it just means that by law it doesn’t have to be.
I would not necessarily recommend this for somebody to haul their kids around in - but for a single person who lives where there is inclement weather and/or needs to haul groceries, it might be a good alternative to a car.
Also, note that in many locales, motorcycles are allowed to use HOV lanes - even with a single passenger/rider/driver.
The point about the limited range is an important one though; most people commute a short distance, so the range is adequate for that. But until the cost comes way down (less than half) or the range is increased, such vehicles won’t sell widely. Most people can’t afford one car for commuting and another for longer trips. This is why hybrids will be the most adopted solution until these problems of range and refueling are addressed.
Personally, I await the Venture One hybrid. It has the range, the refueling, it leans like my motorcycles, it can be driven in inclement weather, it can haul groceries, and hopefully it will cost under $25K US. It also looks much better than most of the competition.
Looks cute but I sure wouldnt want to be rear ended by a truck in one of those things.
JT
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An Electric Car You Can Buy Today For $20K | Deliggit.com…
\r\nyou arent going to fit a family of 5 in this car, but thats not what its made for. Green…
No thanks. I don’t want to drive a wimpmobile.
Thomas C Gray = Exxon Mobil Executive
Wow, after noticing how thomas C Gray in fact does in fact post these garbage comments on so many post about alternative energy cars, I think I’ll actually go out and try one. Thanks Thomas, good reverse psychology you have going there!