Filed under: Transportation Alternatives
Introducing the Corbin Raven, a three-wheeled 100 mpg vehicle
You've gotta hand it to Mike Corbin. Mike started building comfortable seats for himself and his friends, and successfully started a business out of his hobby. Not just any business, either. Corbin is one of the leading aftermarket makers for custom cycle seats, luggage and more. But, Mike has more hobbies than just that one, he is also interested in making small vehicles which are fuel efficient and environmentally friendly. His first commercial vehicle along these lines is probably familiar to many of our readers, the Corbin Sparrow. After a little while, the Sparrow operation was picked up by Myers Motors, which you have also seen here at AutoblogGreen. The vehicle that Myers sells is known as the NmG, for No more Gas, as it is completely electric.
Corbin is now set to introduce the Corbin Raven. The Raven is based upon the same principle as the Sparrow, that many Americans do not need the very large automobiles that are currently their only choices. Except this time, the vehicle is not electric, but uses a small three-cylinder gasoline engine. Corbin projects that the vehicle should get better than 100 miles per gallon and should sell for less than $12,000.
Other vehicles such as this one are currently under development as well. One that immediately comes to my mind is the XR3 from Robert Q. Riley. This one is familiar to me, as I have seen it in its early development stage. Read more about it here.
I am rather excited about the possibilities that vehicles like these could bring. For less than half the cost of the average car that most people buy, a consumer can use less than half the gas, or even none at all, depending on the maker of the vehicle. If the cars are capable on the highway, like they should be, will a market develop for them? I hope so.
Related to the Sparrow:
And the XR3:
- Robert Q. Riley Enterprises is set to introduce their new XR3 hybrid 3-wheeler in June
- Technical details of the XR3 learned during our visit to Robert Q. Riley Enterprises
[Source: Corbin via Straightline]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
George Krpan 5:36PM (6/02/2007)
The microcar reborn.
Corbin should have made it look more nostalgic like a Messerschmitt or Isetta.
Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum.
http://www.microcarmuseum.com/
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Joseph 6:45PM (6/02/2007)
Unfortunately, the car will look hideous. I'd rather buy a Honda Insight; it is much more stylish, costs about as much used, and can hold another passenger, plus, the Honda Insight has soemthing like a 4 star crash rating. On the contrary, since the Corbin is three-wheeled, it won't need any kind of safety evaluation, therefore ensuring that the vehicle won't be nearly as safe.
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markf 8:44AM (6/04/2007)
Let's see - no side impact crash guards in the doors (what doors?), not even a front airbag let alone side airbag protection, no bumpers so all but the most minor of street parking incidents will bring 'joy' to the Raven's insurance carrier and owner's monthly payments, no practical seat belt/harness system or wiper (though these should be added with minimal difficulty), no ABS, stability control, or even a limited slip differential for poor weather use, heater/defroster can be done but will be of limited practicality (the upper half of that tall windshield will be unreachable by any sort of tiny blower), and total inability to meet even the most rudimentary of the DOT's crash tests. Yup, that's exactly what America years for - not!
Most of the USA lives in cities or suburbs, so driving to work involves close encounters with semis, H2s, and inattentive folks sitting high in SUVs while applying makeup or catching up on the sports page while driving a Raven, which will be far less maneuverable than a motorcycle. Driving this to work, and the advertising campaign will certainly tout this as a 'practical' alternative to a more traditional 4 wheeler, will be no different than piloting an ATV off-road, but with 2 exceptions - you'll be driving much much faster and bumping into Excursions will be much more painful than hitting a sandy berm.
The Raven is doomed to be a highly limited niche vehicle making about a zero impact on the nation's fuel consumption while spewing much more carbon into the air (as virtually all motorcycle engines do) then a PHEV hybrid 4 wheeler. This trike has 'loser' written all over it, unfortunately, because it is too off the mainstream of consumer needs.
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russellgeister 9:01PM (1/04/2008)
most of markf's points are correct this car won't work in the US Corbin should try selling them in the EU and UK where they have a tradition of little cars like this i also think it would do well in asia does the word export mean anything in the us
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Dan 10:48PM (7/02/2008)
I Like IT !! Licensed and insured as a motorcycle, Won't fall over in ice and snow and can be used in the car pool lane makes it a winner. No , it;s not a H2 and its not trying to be. Its a better MOTORCYCLE.
Open your minds and change your thinking.
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