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General discussion
New European car developed for cities
The prototype of a revolutionary new type of vehicle only one metre wide specially designed for cities has been developed by a team of European scientists. The vehicle combines the safety of a micro-car and the manoeuvrability of a motorbike, while being more fuel-efficient and less polluting than other vehicles.
This little car runs on compressed natural gas.
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15 Posts
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But they say they have a "strengthened frame protects the driver in a crash...stylishly designed and is much safer...tilting chassis concept to keep the vehicle stable in corners. The vehicle controls the amount of tilt automatically...
Sounds safer than it might look at first glance. It might be better in a european type city than in an American city. 
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especially with their availablilty and filling the special gas cylinders, plus the 0-40MPH in 7 seconds....need a good 0-60MPH time for the on ramp freeways here.
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I linked to a while back. Although I think the Carver runs on petrol, it'd still be cheaper than any car. I think my motorcycle gets 55-65 mpg.
Cindi
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I could go for something like that for the limited driving I do nowadays, but natural gas might be a problem. It would make me nervous with all the larger vehicles around me.
I miss my old Crown Vic.
They need to make Crown Vics that get 100 mi/gal. Somebody should pass a law! That will do the trick!
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Movement is like a motorcycle though, leaning into curves and stuff.
They look FUN.
Cindi
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you don't lean into the turn on a trike?
Anyway, might be fun, but how safe?Dol I want my daughter driving one?
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I've not ridden a trike. I think Tony Holmes comes to SE now and then, and he's familiar with them. Maybe he can educate us both!
Cindi
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Looks like a three wheeled vehicle might be less stable than a bike. Maybe we need a Dean Kamen to design a two wheeler (or even one wheeler)with a body that can be driven by non-bikers. i.e., one that leans automatically and is gyroscopically stable at all times.
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That sure sounds like waaaaay more work and a lot less fun than a motorcycle! I love leaning into the curves, and the prospect of being "forced" to the outside like being in a car without the body of the car to hold you in would be a major drag!
(I find myself trying to lean into curves now when I'm driving the car. LOL)
Cindi
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Saw it on TV once though. Interesting but a little scary.
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... would seem to make more sense for suburban areas where routes to work don't involve major highways (or highways could have a lane designated for these vehicles if this became popular). For some of the same reasons that bicycles are impractical in big cities, so too would be any single-person mode of transportation of this nature. They're small, more could be fit on the roads, but traffic is all about numbers of vehicles, not size!
Evie
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Instead of taking away the licenses of repeat DWI offenders, we could instead respect their right to use of the same roads we all pay for by restricting them to only being allowed to drive a vehicle like that one. Not only will it keep them from driving illegaly anyway, it would insure they are driving a vehicle that would present greater harm to them than others in a multicar crash.
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