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
Why are you profiling the Triac, a $20K motorcycle, rather than the Microwatt, a $12k car?
Looks like our paradigm of “motorcycle” needs to change a litle. Next year we will have many choices as to what vehicle we are going to use for the next 10 years, and as soon as a barrel of oil hits $200 we will all have our paradigm shifted and be driving electrics. Don’t worry, Honda, Toyota, and all the rest will supply us with the cars we need, however many wheels you want.
I pray for the day that I can go to a dealer and buy a fuel cell car. I love the concept of a car with H20 as an emission and can go 300 to 400 miles per charge. I may die waiting for these cars to be mass produced
Thomas is a rather fearful little man, and I truly wonder how he gets out of bed in the morning. Does he also weep for all the bikers that take spills on their Harleys?
[...] back in it without an issue on Sundays. When they’re sold near here, I’ll be on line.read more | digg [...]
Microwatt is not allowed on streets with a speed limit higher than 35MPH. It get’s 60 miles to a charge
Triac is legal on freeways and get’s 100-125 miles to a charge.
fact is, 3-wheelers suck, unstable, would it cost so much more for another wheel?
for an electric the range and speed is quite reasonable along with the price, that is a refreshing
as far as safety, if everyone drove much lighter, slower vehicles and not 4 ton suv’s im sure these will be safe enough, and besides we all grew up with cars that by todays standards were not safe, but all the features give people a false sense of safety anyhow
my friend works at a green car company next to UCdavis and i drove a couple of these. Really when you drive it it’s the worst experience ever. Because their electric, its instant torque which means every time you touch the gas pedal the car jerks, and the suspension on all electric cars under 30k are just horrible. It really takes a green person to drive one of these. Just go with a prius, or in my case, a corolla.
Most people in this country don’t drive more than 50 miles round trip in a day? I’d like to know where you live and work, it might be worth moving. In metro Atlanta however 50 miles in a day is nothing. No thanks I’ll keep my gas slurping Ford V8 with my 18 mpg and $110 fill ups. Have to go run over some eco friendly cars now…
Having a fourth wheel and two small back seats would have priced it out of reach. Currently affordable EVs are commuter vehicles. Period. They’re a second car and should be evaluated as such. You don’t *need* range unless you live farther away from work than you ought to, and you don’t need to pack the family. It would be nice, but for the 90% functionality, it’s not needed. Keep track of your driving for a week: 1. how far do you drive between stops at home and work (if you could charge up there)? and 2. how many people are riding with you? That’s what you need in a commuter car, and for the vast majority of people (there will always be exceptions), this sort of vehicle is perfect.
My main concern is if it’s real, as there has been a lot of vapor in this market…