20 Jun 06 15:40
Riley XR3 - not life-size
An American motor industry consultant and kit car developer has designed a hot-rod three-wheeler with a diesel-electric hybrid powertrain.
Robert Q Riley, whose CV includes writing a book called Alternative Cars in the 21st Century and creating plans for Popular Mechanics magazine, has called his creation the XR3 (no sniggering from those who remember the Ford Escort) and describes it as a 'personal mobility vehicle'.
The XR3 currently exists only at the theoretical stage, but interested parties are invited to sign up and place orders; more details will be released at the end of the year. In the meantime, all we know about the car is that it is said to be capable of 125mpg and a top speed of 85mph. The XR3 is a two-seater weighing 1,250lbs and has a clamshell-style canopy in place of conventional doors; its body is made from carbon fibre, and its wheelbase is 88 inches, its track (width between the wheels) 64 inches and its height 43 inches. It combines a small turbocharged diesel engine and an electric motor, and the engine is said to be biodiesel-compatible. Riley also promises advanced occupant protection and crash avoidance systems, presumably to guard against it being squashed by a large SUV or pick-up truck.
Designed to be a desirable-looking sportster as well as an economical commuter car, there's more than a hint of the hot rod about the XR3.
Riley says: 'Once we decide on the basic architecture of the vehicle, styling is the first thing that's done. It's the most intangible quality of the design, but it provides a visual marker for what we are trying to achieve through mechanical design.'
In other words, it's going to be as quick as it looks.
Perhaps the most intriguing thing about this project, however, is that Riley will make the plans and blueprints of the XR3 Hybrid available so handy spanner-wielders can build their own. It will join his range of instruction kits already on offer, which include plans for commuter cars, camper vans, motorbikes and choppers, watersports craft and even a DIY hovercraft and jet engine. Although the XR3 is unlikely to make it into the realms of mainstream motoring, it does present the opportunity for affordable, homegrown hybrid fun. (Jalopnik.com)
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