Where to find 3 wheelers

ZAP Xebra

Breaking News 11/25/2007 - Zap Xebra has been certified as legal on the roads in the UK - No indication yet of when ZAP will start sales

ZAP is now selling a three wheel vehicle through its dealer network.  The Xebra is 9.5ft long and 4.66ft wide and can seat four.  It is powered by a brushed series DC motor driven by six PbA batteries (72V), using an Altrax controller, that provides a top speed of 40mph.  Zap claim a range on this vehicle of 40 miles but reports from existing drivers put it at more like 15-20 miles in real world driving.  It comes with a 110V charger as standard with a 220V charger as an option.  Auxiliary systems are powered from the main traction pack via a DC-DC converter and their is also a separate 12V battery used as a reservoir system.  Braking is provided by disks on all three wheels but there is no power assist.  Carrying capacity is 500 pounds and input seems to indicate that exceeding this capacity has a huge impact on both range and hill climbing ability.  ZAP is offering a six month warranty on the car and a two year warranty on the Controller.  The Xebra registers as a motorcycle in most states.  

Also available is the Xebra PK which is a pick-up truck version of the Xebra.  The PK has the same electrical specifications as the Sedan but seats two people in a drivers compartment that is slightly narrower than the sedan.  The vehicle comes with a truck bed that can be tilted up from the front to reveal the battery pack which now sits below the truck bed.  ZAP also offers an optional higher capacity battery pack for the PK that can offer a genuine 35 miles per charge.

In Oregon They can be found at:

Electric Wheels Inc1555 12th Street SE, Salem, OR Phone (503) 485-0588

The Solar Store, 184 NE Kearney Avenue, Bend, OR 

Phone (541) 388-3637

Grants Pass Electric Vehicles, 145 Redwood Highway, Grants Pass, OR

97527 Phone (541) 218-8850, Email Grants Pass Electric Vehicles

Ecomotion In Portland, OR and Milwaukie, OR - Phone (503) 244-5658 

The ZAP Zone in Cornvallis, OR

In Colorado The California Auto Collection also has them in stock  

10510 S. Progress Way, Parker, CO 80134

Phone (866) 899-8810

In California they can be found at

The Electric Car Company in Long Beach, CA 2698 Junipero Ave. Signal Hill, CA 90755

Phone (866) 969-4545

In Los Angeles check out LA Electric Cars or Environmental Motors

Green Vehicles is located in Los Gatos, CA

Voltage Vehicles in Fulton is a Northern California dealer.

3362 Fulton Road, Fulton, CA 95439, Phone (707) 568-3333

Big Kid's Toys in Napa

ZAP of Concord in Concord

O'Connell Electric Vehicles in Alameda 

Davis Electric Cars in Davis

Hilt Automotive in San Carlos

In South Carolina they can be found at EV Carolina

In Florida call or visit FantaSeaScooters

In Georgia you can find them at Green Planet

2740 Green Briar Pkwy #A3131, Atlanta, GA 30331
Tel: (404) 684-1132

In Hawaii at Maui Energy

In Illinois you can find then at ZAP of Oak Forest

In Wisconsin K-Man Auto and Scooter and Milwaukee EV

In Kansas check out Midwest EV

In New Hampshire at McFarland Sales

The Xebra can be found at Shock Value in Austin, TX and ZAP of Cars of San Antonio in San Antonio, TX

In Washington State they can be found at The Green Car Co, Seattle

In Pennsylvania check out Ferrante Motor Cars 601 Jackson Ave. Vandergrift, PA. Phone (724) 567-5675

In Massachusetts try Solar Edison 141 Bridge Road, Suite 100A, Salisbury, MA 01952.  Phone (978) 499-4299

Or, for order information contact ZAP Phone: (707) 525-8658

Read my Xebra Test Drive 

Also see the Ray and Francie Video at Youtube Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

See David L. Roper's review of his Xebra PK

Check out known issues and solutions at Xebraworld

Note: We now have some performance data coming in from users and it does appear that the Xebra doesn't handle large hills very well so you may want to take this into account when making a purchase division.  Also, keep in mind that his car is built in China and while ZAP has done a lot to try and keep quality at acceptable levels there have been several vehicles that have had problems.  ZAP is working hard to expand its dealer network and contract with independent service facilities but until this network is expanded I don't recommend the purchase of a Xebra unless you live close enough to a dealer to have them do any required repairs, or you are both willing and able to do the repairs yourself.

Myers Motors

Myers Motors bought out the remaining parts for the Corbin Sparrow 3 wheel single passenger electric vehicle.  Myers have done a lot of work to eliminate many of the design problems that plagued the Corbin Sparrow and have now  started limited production using the remaining Sparrow bodies and this vehicle will be designated the NmG.      

Top speed of 70 mph comes from an electric motor that will deliver peak output of 40hp.

Power comes from 13 Optima Yellow Top batteries giving a real world range of about 25 miles.  They list battery life as 1 to 4 years.

Myers introduced an improved Zivan Charger that can charge the vehicle from a 110V outlet in about 6 hours.

A new controller is being used for the NmG which should prove more reliable than the one used in the Sparrow

The suspension and brakes have been totally reworked to improve vehicle stability.

The NmG is priced around $36,000.  Myers Motors are now taking reservations along with a $1000 deposit.   

Myers Motors can be contacted at (866) 693-7778

Myers Motors, LLC

180 South Ave

Tallmadge, OH 44278

 

Also available at The Solar Store

184 NE Kearney Avenue, Bend, OR

 Phone (541) 388-3637

and Ecomotion In Portland, OR and Milwaukie, OR. Phone (503) 244-565

 

Also available in Kirkland, WA through Green Car Company

 

In Northern California find them at Green Rides

 

In Elmhurst, IL check them out at Electric Avenue Auto

Read Mark Chapmon's test drive

See film taken at the Myers factor courtesy of youtube

TWIKE

Twike (or swiss-lem) went bankrupt in Switzerland. All the rights plus equipment etc. were bought recently by the German company FINE-Mobile GmbH. They are now producing the TWIKE in Germany.  They have two models, an electric human hybrid  (with pedals) and a pure electric model. The Twike is a three wheeler that seats two people.  It has a 332 Volt system that uses  Sanyo NiCd batteries and 3 1/2 kW three-phase asynchronous motor giving it a top speed is 90 km/h and a range of 60 km  

For more information on Twike check out their website.  Note that the site is in German and the English version does not yet seem to be working.   You can also find out more information from the Swiss Twike Cwners Club

Twike has been approved for use in the UK - Prices and specs can be found at the Twike UK Web Site

Twike US has also started taking orders but won't ship until DOT approval is obtained.

There is also an article about the Twike on the EV World web site.

See video of the Twike tour of Europe courtesy of youtube

CITY-EL

The City-El is a small three wheel single passenger EV manufactured by the CityCom AG (Aktiengesellschaft) in Aub (near Würzburg, Bavaria).  The City-El has been around for a long time and over 5000 vehicles have been sold.  It was  recently upgraded with a: new high-tech battery charger (36 V 30 A charging current), new motor (perm-motor, similar to the lynch-motor) and better drive performance with chain-drive instead of belt-drive.  CityCom are now also offering a 48V version.  There is also a battery testing program with 50 % funding by the German government, and they plan to include the Evercel Ni-Zinc battery in the near future.

See Nikki Bloomfield's Video review of the Citi-EL

BugE

The BugE is a three wheel single seat electric vehicle from the same people who designed the Gizmo.  The car is designed with the single wheel in the back.  It weights just 350 lbs,  is expected to reach a top speed of between 40 and 50 mph and should be able to travel 30 miles at a steady speed of 30 mph.  In the usual stop and go traffic found in most cities mileage can be expected to be somewhat less than this.  

The vehicle fairing tilts forward to allow the driver to climb in and out but provides adequate weather protection for most weather conditions.   

Their web site shows three separate packages, the first being the basic body and chassis for $3200, the second is the auxiliary equipment such as wiring harness, lights etc at $325, and the third being the electric drive components at $1070.  To build the BugE you will need all three packages, or you can choose to replace some of them with off the shelf components.  In addition you will need to buy a 48V battery pack.

The BugE can be ordered using the Order Form on their web site

Or you can buy them ready assembled from Harvey Coachworks and EV

See Video of the BugE courtesy of Youtube.

Futurista

The Futurista is a three wheel electric motorcycle that is 106" long, 55" wide, and 49" tall.  It is powered by a 48 volt battery pack but there is no indication on their web site as to the type of batteries.  They claim a top speed of 60 mph and a range of 60 miles.  It can be charged at a 110V outlet in about 4 hours.  The 2 seat Futurista retails at about $14,950.   Check out the video on their web site for more information.

If any owner out there would like to email evfinder  and tell me their experience I would love to pass on the information to prospective buyers

Now for the fine print - remember always read the fine print

The information contained in this web site is based on information I have received about the availability of vehicles both new and used.  I attempt to keep the information here as current as possible but I would appreciate being notified of any inaccuracies you may find.  The appearance of a vehicle on this site does not imply any endorsement of that vehicle, or any implication that the vehicle will be suitable for your needs.  As always you should investigate the vehicle and the seller before shelling out your hard earned money.