Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Twiking the System
A professor at the U. of I. has one of these. They look kinda awesome. Maybe we should ban all automobile traffic in the city besides emergency vehicles, cargo trucks, and buses, but allow these things (in addition to all those other things) on highways and in rural areas. The article is poorly written but the information is really interesting. Apparently they are classified as motorcycles for DOT purposes, so it's legal to drive them on the roads, and you can charge them in a standard electrical outlet. They can reach top speeds of 50-55 mph.
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It's actually interesting why they are classified as motorcycles. Regulatory rules require that all automobiles pass certain safety tests and specs, etc. Those regulations tend to be pricey to meet.
ReplyDeleteBut, anything with less than four wheel is classified as a motorcycle, even if it has doors, roof, or is otherwise "car-like," and does not have to pass those same regulations. This is a primary reason why so many energy alternative vehicles, produced on lower budgets by independent inventors or small businesses tend to design their vehicles with 3 wheels. (Like Zip cars such as the zebra striped one on campus that is usually parked on Florida and Race street.
I read this fact only recently,and I wish I could put the link up, but I can't find it. Although it probably came from the science section of the NY Times.
Incidentally, 3 wheels are also somewhat more efficient, and eliminate a lot of weight from a vehicle, which are also motivations for not having four wheels.
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