What’s green, three-wheeled and can park by the blue signs?
Wednesday, February 4th, 2009I ran across this item on the Autobloggreen.com website today. The picture doesn’t really correspond to the title’s promise, as the four seat, wheelchair accessible version would be the one most likely to use Handicapped Parking. However, it uses diesel power in a Plug In Hybrid Electric Vehicle. Diesel makes more sense in a PHEV, to my way of thinking. When you consider all the single speed stationary pumps and generators out there that are diesel powered and have already proven their efficiency and durability, it is evident that diesel would be a logical choice for recharging batteries in a PHEV. After all, there are thousands of diesel powered semitrailer refrigeration units like ThermoKing or TransiCold out there plugging merrily along for years in applications and environments that make a PHEV look like a garden party. And all of the modern diesel emissions controls like regenerative particulate filters and high pressure common rail fuel injection systems make the “stinking, smoking old diesel” a thing of the past. Diesel seems like the ideal ICE solution for a PHEV. Go to http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/02/01/whats-green-three-wheeled-and-can-park-by-the-blue-signs/ to see the original post and comments. Also, go to http://www.biotrike.com/ for the home page of the Bio-Trike.
What’s green, three-wheeled and can park by the blue signs?
Using fewer resources to get around isn’t limited to any particular group of people. Heck, there are more 43 percent electric wheelchairs in the U.S. than electric vehicles (this statistic brought to you by the Department of Made Up statistics, but I hope my point is clear). If you often travel in a wheelchair but like the idea of an aerodynamic, biofuelled ride for your longer trips, check out the BioTrike-B3XH. Sure, all of the standard add-on equipment that helps the differently-abled (is that the right term these days?) drive an SUV would work just as well on the Volt or the Focus EV, but the BioTrike (the four-seat version, anyway) has been designed from the ground up to be accessible to people who use a wheelchair or are in other ways physically handicapped.
The BioTrike is a tadpole-style three-wheeled plug-in hybrid vehicle that burns diesel (or biodiesel, natch) in a Caterpillar-sourced engine. The builders claim that the range with a full tank and a full charge is somewhere between 700 and 900 miles. They don’t give a lot of details on the powertrain, but do say that the BioTrike has a 50-mile electric-only range. Prices start at $23,999 for the two-seat version and rise to $35,999 for the four-seat, wheelchair-ready version. Options extra.
Source: http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/02/01/whats-green-three-wheeled-and-can-park-by-the-blue-signs/