3-wheel car leans toward future

3-wheel car leans toward future
By Jim Sanders -

Published 12:00 am PDT Sunday, May 18, 2008
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A4

http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/947179.html

Steers like a car, tilts like a motorcycle – and gets 100 miles per
gallon of gas.

California lawmakers are wrestling with whether to allow into carpool
lanes a high speed, fully enclosed, three-wheel hybrid that is under
development in Los Angeles.

The legislation is pushed by the hybrid's creator, Venture Vehicles,
which acknowledges that sidestepping bumper-to-bumper commutes could
make it easier to obtain financing and to sell the vehicle.

VentureOne, patterned after a model sold in Europe, the Carver, is
designed to feature a tiny body, a $25,000 price and many of the
safety and comfort features of a car.

"I've ridden one of them," said Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes, who drove
the European Carver on a test track. "They're very nifty. You can't
drive them without smiling."

"It's a different sensation," said Fuentes, D-Sylmar. "When you turn,
it leans, no matter what you do. It feels like a very narrow car, but
you feel very safe."

Like a motorcycle, the VentureOne is meant to seat only one person in
front and one in back. But like a car, it promises a steering wheel,
automatic transmission and air conditioning.

The three-wheeler is expected to hit speeds of more than 100 mph, tilt
up to 45 degrees, and come equipped with an airbag, rear bumper and
side impact beams.

"It's got all the creature comforts that one would expect in a car,
except the passenger seat isn't there," said Howard Levine, president
of Venture Vehicles, which plans to unveil a prototype in July and
begin sales in California in 2010.

Industry analysts question whether drivers will flock to a 4-foot-wide
hybrid with little trunk space, limited seating and a price tag higher
than many larger cars.

"It's a little sporty, it's fuel-efficient, it's fun, so there's
clearly a market for it – the question is how large," said Dan
Sperling, director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the
University of California, Davis.

Legislators are debating how to classify the VentureOne on freeways.

State law allows motorcycles, electric vehicles, some clean-fuel
vehicles and 85,000 hybrids into carpool lanes, but not yet a blended
technology such as VentureOne, whose drivers will need neither helmets
nor motorcycle licenses.

Fuentes' Assembly Bill 2272 would make an exception for fully
enclosed, three-wheel vehicles, allowing them to use HOV (high
occupancy vehicle) lanes and motorcycle parking.

"If you're going back and forth to work, with a briefcase, this is an
excellent choice," Fuentes said of the hybrid.

The California Highway Patrol and Department of Motor Vehicles have
taken no position on AB 2272, which passed the Assembly unanimously
last month and awaits action in the Senate.

Venture Vehicles is not a major political donor but has hired a
lobbyist to push Fuentes' bill, records show.

More than a decade ago, backers of a proposed three-wheeler, the
Corbin Sparrow, persuaded legislators to exempt such models from
motorcycle helmet laws.

The Corbin Sparrow, an egg-shaped electric vehicle, began production
in 1999 but did not gain widespread popularity in an era when gasoline
cost far less than $4 per gallon.

Sperling, of UC Davis, said he is not familiar with the VentureOne but
that three-wheelers can be designed to be very stable.

"Stability is not an issue, but being small is an issue," he said.
"The law of physics does hold, and a vehicle like that is just more
vulnerable to being crushed – but, of course, it's less vulnerable
than a motorcycle."

Venture Vehicles is building the 12-foot-long VentureOne in
partnership with Carver Engineering, which helped develop the European
Carver.

The three-wheeler will be launched as a hybrid, propelled by gas and
plug-in batteries. A future model is expected to be all-electric,
Levine said.

Dave Modisette, director of the California Electric Transportation
Coalition, a utility-backed business association, said many consumers
have balked at paying more for electric cars – powered by expensive
batteries – even though they would save money in long-term operating
costs.

"What people are predicting is that the price of batteries will come
down to a level where prices can be competitive, particularly with
high gas prices," Modisette said.

Sacramento pedestrians had mixed views of VentureOne in random
interviews Friday.

Maria Stanford, a 46-year-old Colorado resident, said the $25,000
price would not scare her but the thought of an accident would.

"I absolutely would not buy it, it's too small," Stanford said. "But
I'm sure young people would probably love it."

Yvette Propps, 43, of Sacramento also turned thumbs down.

"Economically, it's not a good deal if you have a family, because how
are you going to get everybody in the car?" she said.

Mike O'Mally, 48, was intrigued by owning a car-like motorcycle, or
vice versa.

"I guess I'd be interested," he said. " I'd look into it, at least."