Click above for more images of the Aptera Typ1 e

Gasoline prices in the United States are helping push along the development of many new vehicles such as the Volt from General Motors. Such game-changing vehicles as the Volt and the original Toyota Prius demand a huge amount of research and, even more importantly, money before they are able to get out of the most basic of planning stages. What's more, these hybrid or electric vehicles are often sold at a substantial loss for a number of years before they ever are able to turn any sort of profit. It's not surprising, then, that smaller manufacturers such as Aptera and Can-Am are beginning to appear on the scene which look to offer an alternative to run-of-the-mill hybrids by introducing three-wheeled vehicles.

We'll delve a bit into the three-wheelers which are already available and look into what makes them legal - or not - after the break. We'll also discuss what could take place in the near future as Washington takes notice of the three-wheeled trends.

"The extra wheel is a welcome novelty and could accurately be described as a "benefit," but is that benefit equal to the cost, weight, and technical complication?"

That is how the last paragraph from 2 Stroke Buzz's short take on the Piaggio MP3 after riding it briefly. I won't steal their thunder by pasting in their answer to that super-important question, find it here. The short version of what this scooter is: two wheels in front, one in back; powered by a clean, 250 cc, 4-stroke engine, mounted firmly to the rear wheel; leans into turns just like any other scooter, or can be "locked" straight up, with no leaning possible. If that still makes no sense, check out the video here.

I still have not been able to ride one, as there isn't really any dealers close to me. I am looking forward to my turn, though. It will come, sooner or later!

Related:

• You too can ride like an animal after watching this Piaggio MP3 video. Scary!
• A three-wheeled extravaganza! Piaggio MP3, VentureOne, KTM X-Bow and Can-Am Spyder
• More transportation alternatives, this time plucked from Kneeslider
• Electric Vectrix maxi-scooter review

[Source: 2 Stroke Buzz]

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:

• Maryland woman reports on life with her Corbin Sparrow electric car
• One-person electric cars offer yet another transportation option
• Alt Car Expo: Brad Hirsch says the Qui Moto not likely to be Myers Motors next car

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]

I have a brief update from Robert at Robert Q. Riley Enterprises about the status of the XR3 diesel\electric hybrid prototype. I can also share with you a few pictures of an XR3 body under construction. The process of creating a body from scratch requires building up a foam core that is larger than the desired end shape and then cutting and sanding it down to the correct size and shape. After this is complete, the fiberglass cloth is layered over the foam plug and the resin is applied over the cloth. Next, the foam core can be reduced to the proper size and another layer of fiberglass can be added on the inside, creating a foam\fiberglass sandwich. The end result is a rather strong outer shell which will never rust. Alternatively, molds can be taken off a completed body to allow other bodies to be created with the exact same specifications.

As you can see from the pictures below, the final shape is starting to show up on this work-in-progress. The right side is nearly molded to the desired shape, and the left is being built up. Robert shared with me that he is in talks with a fiberglass company to get molds created to duplicate the finished shape of this body. Under this foam composite sits the backbone frame, which I have seen, awaiting the VW transaxle and three-cylinder diesel engine at the front and electric motor at the rear. A custom windshield will be added at the front of the body shell after the fiberglass work is complete. Again, we hope to keep our readers updated as work on this prototype continues. If anybody has any specific questions, I can forward them to Robert if I don't already have the answer.

Related:

• Technical details of the XR3 learned during our visit to Robert Q. Riley Enterprises
• Robert Q. Riley Enterprises is set to introduce their new XR3 hybrid 3-wheeler in June
• Forbes weighs in with their take on "Green Cars of the Future"

[Source: Robert Q. Riley]