Cross between motorbike, car aims for clean air
[H2][FONT size=3]European students, industry build three-wheeler that runs on natural gas[/FONT][/H2]
[H2][A id=linkImgRelatedPhotos][img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" alt="IMAGE: THREE-WHEELED VEHICLE" hspace=0 src="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/060426/060426_clevercar_hmed_10a.hmedium.jpg" border=0][/A][/H2] [DIV class=caption style="PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; PADDING-LEFT: 15px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 25px"]This three-wheeled, natural gas powered vehicle developed in Europe has room for two and gets the equivalent of 108 miles per gallon.
[DIV class=caption style="PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; PADDING-LEFT: 15px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 25px"] [P class=textBodyBlack]BATH, England - It has two seats, three wheels and so far has cost $2.9 million. Students at the University of Bath in western England, who on Monday unveiled the prototype of the CLEVER (Compact Low Emission Vehicle for Urban Transport), hope that it represents a greener future for transport.
[P class=textBodyBlack][SPAN id=byLine][/SPAN]The prototype, a skeletal speedster which had safety netting in place of body panels, exhibited the general design and technology of the vehicle rather than its actual, finished appearance.
[P class=textBodyBlack][SPAN id=byLine][/SPAN]It has the compactness of a motorcycle but the safety of a car, and cornering is smoothed by a tilting technology developed by mechanical engineering students Matt Barker, Ben Drew and their instructors.
[P class=textBodyBlack][SPAN id=byLine][/SPAN]Equipped to handle both city streets and long-distance highway driving, the vehicle runs on compressed natural gas, is capable of 80 mph speeds.
[P class=textBodyBlack][SPAN id=byLine][/SPAN]"The goal was to produce a lower-emission vehicle and to combine the efficiency of a motorcycle with the comfort and safety of a car," said Drew, who demonstrated the ease of steering with several laps around the lot.
[P class=textBodyBlack][SPAN id=byLine][/SPAN]The concept vehicle is the fruit of a three-year project funded by the European Union, drawing on the expertise of German, French and Austrian organizations — including BMW — along with the Bath team.
[P class=textBodyBlack][SPAN id=byLine][/SPAN]Other partners included the Technische Universitaet Berlin, the Institut Francais Du Petrole in Vernaison near Lyon, and the Institut Fuer Verkehrswesen Universitaet Fuer Bodenkultur in Vienna.
[P class=textBodyBlack][SPAN id=byLine][/SPAN]The French team developed the 218cc engine, based on the Rotax engine used in the BMW C1 scooter.
[P class=textBodyBlack][SPAN id=byLine][/SPAN]Natural gas used
Limiting pollution was a big push for the project, according to the project's coordinators. As a result, the vehicle can run on natural gas, which is much cleaner than gasoline.
[P class=textBodyBlack][SPAN id=byLine][/SPAN]Running on compressed natural gas, its fuel consumption is equivalent to 108 miles per gallon.
[P class=textBodyBlack][SPAN id=byLine][/SPAN]"As fuel prices go up and up, people will look at how else they can get around," said Geraint Owen, a lecturer at the university who helped lead the team project.
[P class=textBodyBlack][SPAN id=byLine][/SPAN]A commercial version could be a decade away, assuming a manufacturer is interested, Owen said. He said it would be priced in the micro-car bracket of around $8,500-$17,000.
[P class=textBodyBlack][SPAN id=byLine][/SPAN]"The idea of a narrow vehicle that is light has its significant advantages," he said. "It's less dangerous than a motorcycle."
[P class=textBodyBlack][SPAN id=byLine][/SPAN]The CLEVER car is fun to drive, according to Drew. The Bath team worked on design, suspension, steering, and transmission for their part of the collaboration, he said.
[P class=textBodyBlack][SPAN id=byLine][/SPAN]Designer bullish
"It's been full-time for 40 months," he said of the project, which also served as his and Barker's dissertations.
[P class=textBodyBlack][SPAN id=byLine][/SPAN]"It's quite fun and very stable," he said. "It doesn't feel out of balance. You steer it like a car."
[P class=textBodyBlack][SPAN id=byLine][/SPAN]Matthew Butler, a French and politics major who watched the demonstration, said fuel economy was a big attraction.
[P class=textBodyBlack][SPAN id=byLine][/SPAN]Butler said he pays about $62 every three weeks to fill his 13.2 gallon tank, at a time when gas is about $6.70 per gallon in England.
[P class=textBodyBlack][SPAN id=byLine][/SPAN]Project background is online at [A href="http://www.clever-project.net/"]www.clever-project.net[/A].
