Personal vehicle redefined

Several new versions of the personal vehicle have been making waves lately in our quest for better fuel economy without looking geeky. Depending on your definition of ‘geeky’ these vehicles may or may not be for you. But they do offer fuel economy. As you can see they are to be considered either upgraded motorcycles or downsized cars.

The French built Lumeneo Smera is a fully electric, four-wheeled ‘capsule’ that can easily maintain 80 mph (130 kph) for a distance of up to 93 miles (150 km) between charges. An onboard computer controls what’s called a tilting function so that the vehicle will safely ‘lean’ up to 25 degrees into a turn.

The 770 pound vehicle has an overall length of just under 8 feet and is 2.6 feet wide, easily able to squeeze into any available parking space. The Smera is rear-wheel driven powered by two 20hp electric motors. The lithium ion battery pack can be charged by any standard electrical outlet.

Leather upholstery makes for a comfortable ride. Like most motorcycles, you can carry a passenger but there is no room for anything else.

Lumeneo is keeping a tight lid on the price.

The Naro has been around since 2004 when the Narrow Car Company was licensed by Prodrive to develop the project. What made this concept unique to motorcycle type vehicles is its height. The higher center of gravity requires the vehicle to lean into turns to prevent toppling over. Unlike a motorcycle, the Naro has four wheels and the occupants, one driver and one passenger, are enclosed and therefore protected from the weather.

At less than one third the weight of a typical European sedan it requires just 25 percent of the power to drive it. The Naro is powered by a 400cc, single cylinder 4-vlave engine the produces 20hp. Current mileage it is rated at 100mpg. it isn’t one of the sexy hybrid darlings of the automotive world but it will help stretch your gas
dollar.

Venture Vehicles has announced a two-passenger plug-in hybrid that gets 100mpg with a top speed of over 100 mph. This three-wheeled vehicle is still a concept using the working name VentureOne. Tilting is once again a key factor in this design and the patented Dynamic Vehicle Control tilting technology from Dutch-based Carver Engineering allows the vehicle to tilt through turns while keeping all three wheels firmly on the ground.

A zero-emission all-electric version is also being developed that will have a range of nearly 200 miles.

Pricing is around $23,000 US for the all-electric and the hybrid will sell for around $20,000.

If you are a motorcycle enthusiast you may miss the wind on your face, and the bugs in your teeth, enjoyment that only a true motorbike can offer, but there is something to be said for the mix of style and comfort these models provide.