Three wheeler Cabin Scooter Design
Discussion
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
We talked about various kitcar designs, electric 3 wheelers and other design concepts......
Italo
We talked about various kitcar designs, electric 3 wheelers and other design concepts......
Italo
I just think that it has to be a very lowcost 3wheeler with a roof..........all the extras would make it un-competitive with any new or used citycar.
I believe that something similar could fly, if the base price was a little more than your classic scooter, but had a basic closed body, anything else, in my opinion wouldn't make sense, because as most have said here, or in other posts, who would buy it if it was going to be too expensive an close to a real car, Smart or other ?
Their is a niche, and my research shows that their is, but not for a product that had a price of 4500-5500 Pounds!, but less...........heck I woldn't buy it myself at those prices, even if I had designed it....
It has to be basic as the Moonbeam with just a styling makeover, no more no less, with no extra's because it's only supposed to replace your scooter and not your citycar.....no aircon, no anything......
A bese price of 3000 to a max of 4000 Pounds, and I would buy the thing, more than that and you can keep it!!, I'm sorry to burts the bubble, but this has to be a basic means of transportation, not a luxury one........for that you would have better options.
Call the concept a restyled Moonbeam !
Just my idea offcourse.......
I believe that something similar could fly, if the base price was a little more than your classic scooter, but had a basic closed body, anything else, in my opinion wouldn't make sense, because as most have said here, or in other posts, who would buy it if it was going to be too expensive an close to a real car, Smart or other ?
Their is a niche, and my research shows that their is, but not for a product that had a price of 4500-5500 Pounds!, but less...........heck I woldn't buy it myself at those prices, even if I had designed it....
It has to be basic as the Moonbeam with just a styling makeover, no more no less, with no extra's because it's only supposed to replace your scooter and not your citycar.....no aircon, no anything......
A bese price of 3000 to a max of 4000 Pounds, and I would buy the thing, more than that and you can keep it!!, I'm sorry to burts the bubble, but this has to be a basic means of transportation, not a luxury one........for that you would have better options.
Call the concept a restyled Moonbeam !
Just my idea offcourse.......
Edited by fuoriserie on Thursday 12th February 10:07
mrmaggit said:
I agree, but the moonbeam looks to "amateurish", you'd struggle to sell it at the price of a scooter!
I agree on the price too, £2500-£3500 tops.
I agrew with you, but the Moonbeam was done as a lowcost project in the guys garage, with a budget of 2500 $ !! He worked with very basic tools and was not going to be a commercial project, but his personal means of transport for local errands......I agree on the price too, £2500-£3500 tops.
911hillclimber said:
For me, the original sketch was right to my eyes, and I love the hybrid pack available too as it provides a wider appeal. 'Green' will not sell cars alone.
Electric cars will be very popular when there are no fossil fuels left, and the world will be a very different place then.
For me the spec is single seat, CofG good and low, Smart footprint and steal the power train form a big scooter or that hybrid for the up-market version.
It is for the individualist, not my wife, bit like a Westfield is for the individual who is away from the norm for a weekend or two each month.
You.
I agree with you.......but this is almost 10yrs old now, and i believe this was their first model.Electric cars will be very popular when there are no fossil fuels left, and the world will be a very different place then.
For me the spec is single seat, CofG good and low, Smart footprint and steal the power train form a big scooter or that hybrid for the up-market version.
It is for the individualist, not my wife, bit like a Westfield is for the individual who is away from the norm for a weekend or two each month.
You.
In reference to the original sketch, who knows maybe in the future months something like it could hit the roads.....
qdos said:
The motor industry likes 'complicated' just look at all the nonsense they keep shoving on cars and to an extent look at most of the treads in this website.
As soon as anyone produces any kind of vehicle people are lead to think it needs 'more'
More power, more pistons, more ccs, more airbags, more satellites, more computers. Of course it all means that the manufacturers can charge more for what is basically something simple only with a lot of bling added and bling means profit. OK these days there's not that much profit but what it means is it keeps the cheaper simpler vehicles out of Europe in an effort to keep the West's car manufacturers with a market place.
Now the credit crunch is here we're beginning to look at things differently, though the government and it's croanies are trying to stop that, and people are beginning to look at cheaper cars. Most markedly is they are buying second hand rather than new. Something the government does not like at all. Sorry I'm off on my soapbox here
Anyway my point is that KISS is what we need but Gadgets is what we are sold and what we think we need thanks to the marketing guys. These 3 wheel cabin scooters are really what we should be using to commute in and I for one am going to be using one, hopefully when people get familiar with them others will see the attraction to them too. I've been driving these less is more vehicles for several years now and they are superb and in today's traffic I have more fun in them than I could have in my Lotus or Ginetta. That's not to say I'm leaving high performance cars behind. Far from it, I'm also working on a 400bhp/tonne machine but that's more and more being relegated to Sunday use
I totally agree with your thinking and the less is more approach will be back pretty soon.....let's wait the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010 when people will start thinking long and hard on the way they've been living, drive and spend their money on a daily basis, and realize that they could do with a lot less!!As soon as anyone produces any kind of vehicle people are lead to think it needs 'more'
More power, more pistons, more ccs, more airbags, more satellites, more computers. Of course it all means that the manufacturers can charge more for what is basically something simple only with a lot of bling added and bling means profit. OK these days there's not that much profit but what it means is it keeps the cheaper simpler vehicles out of Europe in an effort to keep the West's car manufacturers with a market place.
Now the credit crunch is here we're beginning to look at things differently, though the government and it's croanies are trying to stop that, and people are beginning to look at cheaper cars. Most markedly is they are buying second hand rather than new. Something the government does not like at all. Sorry I'm off on my soapbox here
Anyway my point is that KISS is what we need but Gadgets is what we are sold and what we think we need thanks to the marketing guys. These 3 wheel cabin scooters are really what we should be using to commute in and I for one am going to be using one, hopefully when people get familiar with them others will see the attraction to them too. I've been driving these less is more vehicles for several years now and they are superb and in today's traffic I have more fun in them than I could have in my Lotus or Ginetta. That's not to say I'm leaving high performance cars behind. Far from it, I'm also working on a 400bhp/tonne machine but that's more and more being relegated to Sunday use
A chassis is being welded as we speak with a scooter engine option.....the sliding door concept will be on the second chassis, the first will have a lift up canopy.....
Edited by fuoriserie on Friday 20th February 09:55
[quote=FlossyThePigThe problem is, the established motor industry can't compete with the cheap cars coming out of Malaysia/Korea, etc. The only way they could maintain sales was to push all the products more up-market (current economic climate excluded).
[/quote]
I agree with you, but a rethink will be in order to survive the changes that will have to be made in the car manufacturing business, if they want to continue manufacturing in Europe and USA........
Lowcost will become a new trend in the future, even in European cars and motorcycles...
[/quote]
I agree with you, but a rethink will be in order to survive the changes that will have to be made in the car manufacturing business, if they want to continue manufacturing in Europe and USA........
Lowcost will become a new trend in the future, even in European cars and motorcycles...
skwdenyer said:
fuoriserie said:
a new rough sketch.........with imput ideas from ajprice, and have to say that, I really like it.....
I'm a bit late to this thread (or at least to the start of it), and I may be missing something, but isn't the "header rail" at the upper edge of the windscreen slap bang in the driver's eye-line? Without making the roof a lot taller, isn't this always going to be the case?Edited by fuoriserie on Tuesday 3rd February 17:31
I'm also a bit concerned that, in the even of an accident of almost any kind, there looks to be a strong possibility of the canopy becoming jammed shut.
I don't want to pour cold water on the idea - many aspects of it I really like - but I'm going through my own design project at the moment for a small car, and briefly toyed with a canopy such as this before rejecting it on these - and other - grounds.
Maybe I didn't try hard enough
Edited by fuoriserie on Saturday 21st February 14:59
skwdenyer said:
911hillclimber said:
I hope they have the chassis roughed together by now (and have worked-out the reverse gear!
Can the reverse gear not just be bought-in from Piaggio, who fit one to the Ape micro-commercials? It is a simple reverse unit, separate to the main gearbox, operated in the Apes by a simple lever. Works in any gear !
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