Electric Eggasus an innovative ovum
How to make a parking spot resemble an egg cartonIt looks like what happens when a Pacman monster beds one of those Messerschmitt or (BMW-made) Isetta bubble cars from the 1950s. But under the shell of this retroish trike is a powertrain altogether more 21st century.
Armed with an electric hub motor good for a claimed 80km on a single charge at speeds of up to 40km/h, Eggasus recently grabbed lots of picture headlines for making it into list of finalists for the Sierra Nevada Innovation Challenge.
And that’s about all of substance we know about Eggasus. In keeping with its alien aesthetic, it seems its progenitors want you to know very little about where it comes from, beyond some rather wild claims on their website, with one name – a Gary Starr of Sausalito, California – and no supporting evidence…
“The Eggasus team has been involved in prototype vehicle design, engineering, construction and production of specialty gas and electric vehicles for over 25 years. They have also been involved in the design and engineering of two and three-wheeled vehicles. They have successfully designed and manufactured a line of all-terrain vehicles as well as aquatic propulsion devices. Over 100,000 of these vehicles have been manufactured and marketed worldwide with some of them earning international awards. The designers have also built custom, ground-up vehicles for premiere auto show exhibitions and several vehicles that have been featured in major Hollywood movies.”
They say the little EV is ideal for urban travel, intra-campus (building-to-building) transportation; and, inevitably, as a mobile advertising billboard. Think of it as a sit-down, enclosed Segway, a bit like one of those scooters for the elderly, in a smart shell that addresses the shortfalls of conventional two-wheeled fare. If you’ve ever ridden a bike or scooter in the rain, you’ll know there’s plenty of room for such a machine.
Compact? They say you can fit up to a dozen Eggasi into one normal parking space.
The vehicle’s makers are looking for funding to advance their plans for an autonomous variant that works by turning groups of them into trains connected by a wireless electronic ‘yoke’. To that end, they’ve co-opted crowd-funding site Indiegogo.
In the meantime, they’ve announced plans to start manufacturing Eggasus later this year. You can already order a street-ready pre-production unit for US$5K. It’s also available in kit form, or you can buy a shell and put your own running gear in it.
Road registrable? Who knows. Crash numbers? Expect negative stars ANCAP…
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