If you happen to be visiting or live in North Carolina, you may possibly pass a car on the road that resembles the cockpit of an airplane without the airplane. By all means remain calm; you have not passed the remaining wreckage of an airplane. You really haven't passed a car either. If you by chance glance through the window, you will notice that this unusual vehicle has handlebars like a motorcycle instead of a steering wheel. So it isn't a car. But it looks like a car so it really can't be a motorcycle. But what is it? You have just passed a Peraves Ecomobile!
As gas prices sky rocket from high to astronomical and a wavering economy reduces discretionary income the public is searching for ways to save money. This plus pressure from environmentalists to go green is motivating companies to seek alternatives to the gas hogs of the past and present.
And they are trying to do this without sacrificing the speed and power Americans are fond of. The American public wants an automobile that can reach high speeds, go from 0 to 60mph in seconds and still get 20 or more miles to a gallon of gas. So the challenge is to offer low fuel consumption while maintaining speed and acceleration. The Ecomobile is one response to the challenge.
The Ecomobile is manufactured by the Swiss company Peraves. Although it does use fossil fuels it has a low rate of fuel consumption. The Ecomobile is also available in the United States. It is distributed in the United States by a dealership located in North Carolina.
The Ecomobile is a combination automobile/motorcycle, or a modified motorcycle with an automobile body. The wheelbase resembles a large bicycle with training wheels, while the body looks like the cockpit section of an airplane.
The Ecomobile is powered by a rear-mounted liquid cooled in line 4 cylinder BMW K series motorcycle engine that can achieve a top speed in excess of 155 mph. And it can accelerate from 0 to 100 miles per hour in 5.7 seconds. It produces 130 HP @8750 RPM.
The body is made of Composite-Monocoque manufactured from Kevlar and glass-weave bonded by Araldite Epoxy resin. It is reinforced by roll-and crash-protection-bars. The engine mount and steering head are in argon arc-welded aircraft-grade steel. It is equipped with aircraft-grade-steel supporting roll-axles.
The body has a gull wing door with integrated sunroof opening to the left. There is a baggage compartment in the rear.
This unusual vehicle weighs 1,014.1 pounds and is about 12 feet long by almost 4 feet wide. It is approximately 5 feet high.
Instead of a steering wheel, it is operated by motorcycle-type-handlebars with extended functions. The auxiliary brake lever and twist throttle are located on the right handlebar. The brakes are operated by the right pedal.
Interior amenities include two-color car style leather seats equipped with automatic safety belts. It has soundproof velour padding and black noise suppressing carpets. There is a self-locking baggage compartment cover complete with an integrated headrest.
Other comforts feature a heating and ventilation system with a three-stage blower, mirror defogging, seat heating and full air-conditioning. It has a Becker Mexico RDS audio system and GPS is available as an option. A CD player is another option.
Every effort has been made to make the body function and look like an automobile while the vehicle operates like a motorcycle.
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