Tilting at the Wheel - January 22nd, 2008
Last week I had occasion to spend some time researching the CLEVER (Compact Low Emission Vehicle for Urban Transport.) It’s a fascinating two-seater fueled by compressed natural gas being developed by nine European partners (with BMW in the mix) at the University of Bath. The specs are respectable. It’ll make 60 mph and accelerate from zero to 40 in seven seconds. But here’s the kicker. It’s a meter wide. If you’re rusty on your metrics, that’s 3.28 feet. And, going around curves, the back wheels stay upright, but the whole front of the chassis tilts just like a motorcycle.
Give it a look see here:
Okay, we have so much innovation here it’s hard to know where to start. First, the CLEVER isn’t the only vehicle in this genre. The most direct competition comes from the gasoline-powered Carver. Both vehicles have closed cabins with the passenger sitting behind the driver, and both tilt around curves. The Carver, however, is powered by gasoline and has a 600 cc turbocharged, four cylinder engine. That means it has a top seed of 115 mph and does zero to 60 in 8.2 seconds. No word on CLEVER pricing yet but the Carver goes for 27,654 British pounds.Beyond looking like too much fun for words, this genre of vehicle would be super easy to park and absolutely ideal for urban driving conditions. The one issue I could see in the States is the possible need to get yourself a motorcycle license (’cause our legal system tends to get funky where innovation is involved), otherwise, I’d definitely be on-board for one of these babies today.
Posted on January 22nd, 2008 by Shorty
Filed under: technology, lifestyle, first look |
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