DeviceGuru

Green Vehicles Inc. is now accepting reservations for its two-passenger, all-electric, three-wheeled car. The compact, lightweight “Triac” features 80 mph maximum speeds, a 100 mile range, and a list price below $25,000.

The base model Triac comes with a 20 kW water-cooled electric motor, powered by 160 amp-h 144V lithion-ion batteries. An available performance upgrade substitutes a 30 kW electric motor, powered by a 288V battery pack. A five-speed manual transmission is also optionally available.

The all-electric, three-wheeled, two-passenger Triac EV
(click each image to enlarge)

 
The Triac can be charged from standard 120V or 240V AC outlets, and its on-board charger automatically adapts to the power source. Recharging “from zip to full” takes about five hours at 240V, and 16 hours at 120V, according to the company.

Like virtually all EVs, the Triac provides regenerative braking to conserve energy. Another key feature of the Triac, according to the company, is a structural steel cage, which provides “a protective shell around the passengers.” Other safety features are said to include hydraulic disc brakes all around, three-point safety belts with pretensioners, and a frontal impact redirection system.

Green Vehicles conducted a pilot program last year involving about a dozen Triac 1.0 pre-production vehicles, according to Colin Lee, the company’s VP of Business Development. Various design modifications based on feedback from the pilot tests have been incorporated into the production model, which is dubbed “Triac 2.0.”

One key enhancement in the production model, says Lee, is a unique “Vehicle Efficiency Data Assistant” (VEDA) system. As described in the company’s literature, this function “takes a ground-breaking in-context approach to linking vehicle performance to the driver and surroundings, resulting in lower ‘fuel’ costs, reduced range anxiety, and an enhanced commuting experience.”

Other enhancements in the Triac 2.0 are said to include weight reductions and improvements to drive-train efficiency.

The following videos show the Triac EV in action. The first one notes a few differences between the pilot model and the production model.

The Triac running the course at Laguna Seca

 

The Triac driving quietly along the Pacific Coast Highway

 
$2M funding from California

Last month, The California Energy Commission allocated $2 million to help fund the building of 2,000 Triac EVs per year at an 80,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in Salinas, Calif. In addition to Green Vehicles, participants in the project of manufacturing the Triac include Leyden Energy, supplier of the Triac’s lithium-ion batteries; Automotive Technology Group, a designer and manufacturer of concept vehicles; and the City of Salinas. The project team will provide funding of $2.8 million to match the state grant.

The Commission expects the project to add nearly 500 jobs relating to the EV’s assembly, supply chain, and electronics. Additionally, the Commission reckons that each Triac sold will lesson petroleum use by 575 gallons per year and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 72 percent relative to the environmental costs of a conventional vehicle.

Further information

Further information on the Triac 2.0 EV is available from the Green Vehicles website. Triac 2.0 reservations, which require a refundable $500 deposit, can be made here. The “base model price” listed on the reservation form is $24,995. The company says the vehicles will start being delivered during 2011, but as yet has not been specific as to when.