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).
- Welcome Google search visitors: This is just one of many articles produced here on a daily basis on Gas 2.0. If you find this post interesting, sign up for our RSS feed and stay up to date.
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 want to see the concept of electric vehicle extended. A electric vehicle with removable hybrid option. A day to day commuter electric vehicle is great especially if I can travel to work or the shops for 2c a mile. But for occasional and optional longer trips id like a trailer or bolt on unit that can extend my range, but be easily removed again for commuter work. OPEC will lose its power over me as i can easily decide its to expensive to go on a longer trip but ill still have my commuter vehicle. So to sum up an electric battery vehicle with solar panel and mains charging, or my own alternative power. But a easily removable trailer or reverse in and bolt on generator which makes it a hybrid concept for long trips that are maybe 5% of my trips. And if I went camping it could power some lights and music. The battery unit could even be removable depending on needs. The trick will be making the removable unit easily removed and replaced perhaps different sizes of generator will be available depending on need and fuel availability. Also it should include a solar panel hopefully this will charge the vehicle so its charged for the home trip from work or the shops extending its range while driving and when its parked.
This could include single user vehicles or 2,4 passenger vehicles. No need to buy fuel, its optional. This concept could be used for conversion vehicles also, a trailer, generator….optional extended range for those infrequent trips but the best of electric vehicles benefits for day to day use.
I think this is good news, and worth watching, but we should be more carfull about it’s practical uses. You said most poeple drive less than X miles a day. That is true… but only as an average. A large number of people drive considerably, and a large number drive very little. Take me for instance: I drive 2.5 miles to drop the kids off at daycare and 3 miles to work that is 5.5 miles to and 5.5 miles from. Total 11 miles a day, at the 32 miles round trip to the grocery store ( all shopping done together)and the average is about 17 miles…. i fit your model, take my brother… 31 miles one way to work. that is 62 miles a day. Stop off to get something from the store twice a week and add 5 miles per trip average. hes up to 63 miles per day average. imagine getting off of work and saying I have to go home and get my gas car because to go to my brothers house it will be 8 miles past my trip limit.
once again… good tech, but usable enough for most. besides if I have to keep a second car for longer trips, the cost of gas savings on the first does not cover the new car not or added insurance.
I have and have driven a 3 wheeled runabout for about 5 years (www.gizmo-ev.com) it travels at 45 mph, has a range of 40-50 miles on a 25 cent charge and is a viable alternative 2nd vehicle for groceries, errands personal transport etc. It is not intended as a replacement for a long range 4-6 passenger family vehicle. I use a diesel running waste veg oil for that. If you don’t want it don’t get one. OPEC will still need some customers even when oil hits $200+ a barrel. Enjoy!
I PERSONALLY THINK THAT WHILE NOT PERFECT, THIS IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. ELECTRIC CARS WILL NOT GET “ON THE ROAD” WITHOUT HEALTHY COMPETATION AND IT HAS TO START SOMEWHERE. SO WHILE THIS MAY NOT BE THE PERFECT SOLUTION TO REPLACING THE LARGER VEHICLES WE ARE ALL USED TO, IT WILL START A TREND LEADING TO NEW TECHNOLOGIES THAT WILL EVENTUALLY GIVE US A GREEN CAR THAT WILL BE LARGE ENOUGH AND GO THE DISTANCE FOR THE AVERAGE FAMILY, AMERICAN OR OTHERWISE.
once the car companys put a little effort in the electric vehicals,they will blow away the gas vehicals.they have one moving part compared to dozens on the gas hog..that means kiddies its fast real fast small electric cars are blowing away ferrari”s off on a quater mile.no smog mabee we will see the sky again.oh yea we can make more electricity from the sun in america or wind.hey the first gas car was a junker .lets do this its up to us not a bunch of jerks in washington.just buy electric ,do it.quit the finger pointing .once the demands thier they will build what jerky boy wants a big s u v but all electric that if you hit a speed bump you wont roll over .i think thats what most of us want..the batteries are the issue so get in the garrage future bill gates and make one(battery) and you will be bill gates rich..you want to get even for 9-11 buy electric and hopefully a american car company will build the majority of them..thanks god bless america
what is wrong with air cars? Can the MYT engine not run on compressed atmosphere air. That is a combustion engine that can be swapped into anything. It seems silly that we waste time talking about EV hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell cars when we can make brutally efficient vehicles without changing to a new kind of technology. We can just alter the arrangement of the 100 year proven combustion engine.
They copied my project of the Comet (look at the comet here http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q236/dotcommodity/comet.jpg )
Thanks for reporting that, I’ll start a legal action
regards
can you say corbin !!!! i like it and its not a bad price for REAL batteres LI-ion….
now if only my school had a close outlet.. until then i am takeing the propane route..
the name TRIAC hmmmm SCRs anyone?? what no IGBT drive
….. BTW all the kids here drive thoes coffins on wheels AKA scions.. ULGY! this thing has curves …
Great post, I’m really looking for something like this, I can’t wait for a better car to come out, I’ll be selling my 2008 Ford Mustang for an EV, I’m really tired of spending about $55 every 300 miles, I’m spending about the same amount that I spend for auto insurance every 6 months on gas, I’ll spend about $6000 for gas and insurance for 1 year with my mustang.