Leaning three-wheelers are slow coming to market (Piaggio’s MP3 is probably the best-known example), but they’re showing up in concept form more frequently, and this electric version from Doohan is one of the more interesting ones we’ve seen.
Dubbed the iTank, it’s a project seeking funding on Kickstarter. This trike is electric, not gas-powered, and its creators say they’ve been awarded 17 patents for their design.The iTank has an electric motor from Bosch, and it’s powered by a 26 AH lithium-ion battery with 100 km of range and six-hour recharging time. The designers claim the battery is good for 600 charging cycles, with a five-year life.
Max speed for second gear is 45 km/h, so this thing isn’t intended to be a tire-shredding speed demon.
You can find more specs and details on the trike at its Kickstarter page here. Doohan is hoping to sell it in the US by this fall, likely starting around the $4,000 mark. Kickstarter pledges can start at $29, but it might be a very hard sell for the company at this point, as the Skully crowdfunding fiasco is still fresh in many motorcyclists’ minds. Doohan does intend to make the iTank available to Canada, if you’re interested.
GALLERY
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We don’t need another electric vehicle that can’t go fast enough to maintain speeds around the city. Can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been stuck behind some twat doing 35km/hr in a 60 zone because they feel they have a right to be driving down the road despite paying no road taxes, insurance, registration or inspections showing road worthiness, have a license, wear bicycle helmets or have the ability to keep with the flow of traffic. When they can maintain 80 on the highway, pay the say registration fee and insurance as I do, require a licensed driver wearing at least a real helmet, then I welcome them
Seem well made except that the speed and range doesn`t suit my needs.