Would you drive a strange-looking three-wheeled car if it was three times more efficient than a Prius? If so, we’d like to direct your attention to the E. Rex, an EV designed by Silicon Valley startup OptaMotive for the Automotive X-Prize. The sleek speedster goes from 0 to 60 in less than 5 seconds and has a range of over 100 miles.
The vehicle is essentially Campagna Motors’ T. Rex motorcycle engine-powered three-wheeler with the “guts” replaced — the OptaMotive team installed a water-cooled permanent-magnet DC brushless motor, a lithium-ion battery pack, a battery-management system, and a regenerative braking system to up the vehicle’s efficiency quotient. The outside of the vehicle, though, looks mostly the same as a T. Rex.
It’s hard to say if the E. Rex will ever go on sale, but it probably won’t be wildly expensive if it does. The traditional T. Rex sells for $51,999, and OptaMotive imagines that the electrified version could be priced similarly.
Via Wired
Photos by Vasudev Bhandarkar
