Vectrix introduces the 3 Wheels version of the Electrical MAXI-Scooter

Sadly, it looks like the Vectrix 3 wheel version it just going to remain a concept vehicle. After reading the enclosed article on the internet I decided to call the company on Oct 10th. I asked when the Vectrix 3W version was going to be put into production and was told that it was going to remain a "Concept Vehicle" for the foreseeable future. Damm I was looking forward to buy one.

"The company also announced it will broaden its offerings next year. It plans to sell two new models that will have less power than its current model, but will also cost less, McGuiness said.
One of the two new models will have the same platform and drive train as its flagship product, but with slightly less acceleration and top speed, Vectrix said.
Next summer, the company plans to sell an “entry-level” model that will be smaller and more compact. The electric motor will have the equivalent power of a 50cc internal-combustion engine. The model will also be available in more-powerful versions up to the equivalent of a 150cc motorbike."

I personally would much prefer to see this great new company focus on it's own stability and long term growth, rather than to spread its resources thin by developing, testing, and marketing more products at this time.

There must be hundreds of thousands of commuters that live less than 10 miles from their work that would be prime "one-charge-per-day" candidates for the present day Vectrix. I hope the company will focus on that target, and gently improving it's main course meal until it AND the market can support a new kid on the block.

I agree on the stability angle, as much as I am drawn to the three wheeler (as I was to the Piaggio petrol version), I would hate this to draw custom away from their existing flagship product and fragment their existing market for each model. That said, I think the news of the demise of the W3 is premature. The company annual report advised of additional funding allow for the building of 230 (as I recall) of the 3 weheeled version. So I expect to see these appearing in publicity in the new year....

And I still want one....

I agree on the stability angle, as much as I am drawn to the three wheeler (as I was to the Piaggio petrol version), I would hate this to draw custom away from their existing flagship product and fragment their existing market for each model. That said, I think the news of the demise of the W3 is premature. The company annual report advised of additional funding allow for the building of 230 (as I recall) of the 3 weheeled version. So I expect to see these appearing in publicity in the new year....

And I still want one....

I'll agree on the stability when I see 3-wheelers win motorbike races.

I might be wrong, of course, I have never ridden one, but it will take a lot of very good explanations, or a bunch of test rides to convince me that a three wheeler is better than a two wheeler in capable hands.

All it will do is allow to get lots of people killed because they feel safer on a motorbike than they are.

Unless you practice emergency breaking, counter-steering, evasive manoeuvres etc. multiple times and regularly you are nothing but a soft target. A passive one.

If you need three wheels to make you feel more safe and stable, you should have a protective frame and air-bags etc. as well.

An Aptera for example. Or a car.

I seen the 3 wheeled Paggio MP3 bikes on road in my area which is similar to the Vectrix design. In my area the dealer has waiting list to get these bikes. I have not rode one myself, but I think the idea is a good way enlarge the potential base of people might consider a scooter. I myself think it looks goofy, kind of like a bike with training wheels for people with no balancing skills.

The good points are there is no need use the 2 point stand for most situations because the bike is very stable. It self moves upright position and the bike has tilt limit built into the suspension to prevent the bike from being dropped at low speed. I think some people may not be comfortable keeping a heavy scooter balanced so this design solves that issue. Another thing about the bike is that some people I like the fact that you don't need to put your foot on the ground when the bike stops. Other than than I would say it looks more stable in a turn when conditions are bad the road.

I have this one nasty arc turn in my area that has so many strategically placed wavy looking pot holes and oil patches that I have no possible way to do a clean turn expect to slow way down to manually steer around the holes while in a turn. This is somewhat annoying to 4 wheelers who do not see why I need to slow down in this one turn. I think maybe this three wheeler would be better in situations like this.

I seen the 3 wheeled Paggio MP3 bikes on road in my area which is similar to the Vectrix design. In my area the dealer has waiting list to get these bikes. I have not rode one myself, but I think the idea is a good way enlarge the potential base of people might consider a scooter. I myself think it looks goofy, kind of like a bike with training wheels for people with no balancing skills.

The good points are there is no need use the 2 point stand for most situations because the bike is very stable. It self moves upright position and the bike has tilt limit built into the suspension to prevent the bike from being dropped at low speed. I think some people may not be comfortable keeping a heavy scooter balanced so this design solves that issue. Another thing about the bike is that some people I like the fact that you don't need to put your foot on the ground when the bike stops. Other than than I would say it looks more stable in a turn when conditions are bad the road.

I've been riding motorcycles for about 30 years. With the exception of the one time that a guy knocked me off my bike and killed me (yes, obviously I came back to life), every time that my bike has fallen over has been when I'm just sitting still on it... thinking the kickstand was down or just lost support somehow. I guess this three wheeler wouldn't have that problem.

When I went to Austin (a few months ago) to test drive a Vectrix, I stopped at the Vespa dealer and sat on one of the Paggio three wheelers. They seemed very stable. I'd really like to drive one and see what it felt like on corners.

I wonder what the extra weight and resistance of the third wheel would do to the range on the current system? Got to have a significant effect.

A guy that works with my wife has one of the Piaggo 3 wheelers, but I have not seen one or met anyone personally that has ridden one.

I'm sure there are at least a few advantages, but there are also disadvantages to contend with as well. They should be plenty stable, but less nimble, and while I can squeeze through some tight spots, they would require more space, and the additional expense of a third tire would occasionally come into play, along with the additional moving parts that provide a potential for more upkeep or repair.

Those who don't need three, will do well without them, but if it means getting more people out of gas guzzling SUVs and onto something better than a horse or mule, then it's going to be a good thing eventually. I just don't want to see a infant company feel pressured to spread itself thinner in a crashing economy to try to expand it's horizons. Way too risky right now.

I took a test drive on the MP3 250cc. Same engine transmission drive train as the Vespa GTS 250.
Gets 60mpg, same as the Vespa. A kick to drive. It leans as if it was a two wheeled scooter.
But can stand up staight by itself when stopped. There are several videos and a complete roadtest
in London. The roadtest was interesting because the writer drives a Vespa 250 as his personal
vehicle. There is an indoor test track so he took his Vespa which he is very familiar with
and then took the MP3 thru the course which he was not familiar with. He was able to complete
the course faster on the MP3.

Anyway, the MP3 front end is supposed to be licensed by Vectrix (?). I'm all for it.

Since you've never ridden one - what make you think such an opinion is even valid? It has nothing to do with safety, as you're just as vulnerable in either 2 or 3wheels to a car driver with bike-blindness. As the front wheels are cantilevered, it isn't like a 3-wheel trike. If you imagine stopping at traffic lights and plan to jump off, adjust the family jewels with both hands then jump back on... you'll be sadly disappointed. It will STILL fall over.*

The stability I refer to is in the ride - in the UK there are many major urban roads here that would embarrass a third-world emerging nation. Massive pot-holes, sunken and raised drains, the whole nine yards. Being unable to avoid many of these, a single wheel takes the brunt, but a twin wheel evens the shock and to a certain extend gives a smoother ride.

* Unless you remember to lock the tilt mechanism, which can only be done <3kph.

Not fall over?

Yes - it WOULD still have that problem. See above!

You need to ride one. It does stand up by itself. One of the videos has the MP3 parked with one
wheel on the street and the other wheel on the sidewalk. The driver just walked away from it and
it just stayed put.

Robert, he would need to have flipped the switch to lock the front forks as the slightest movement can cause the bike to tilt and potentially fall over. The lock is applied when the engine is turned off - so dunno what happens on Vectrix's version.

This looks good

Piaggio Unveils a 141-MPG Plug-In Hybrid Scooter

Italian scooter-maker Piaggio has unveiled a plug-in hybrid three-wheeler it says will get up to 141 mpg and could be on the road as early as next year.
The gas-electric version of Piaggio's funky but fun MP3 scooter uses a parallel hybrid system much like that in the Toyota Prius but advances the technology by adding an electrical cord. Although Toyota, General Motors and several other automakers are developing cars that can be charged from a wall socket, Piaggio's timeline, if met, would make it the first in the world to mass-produce a plug-in hybrid.
The MP3 Hybrid that Piaggio rolled out at the big international motorcycle expo in Milan, Italy, combines a 125-cc gasoline engine with an electric motor in an easy-to-ride three-wheeler that reportedly could do zero to 60 in around 5 seconds.
We're still trying to get ahold of the folks at Piaggio, but the electric motor powers the MP3 Hybrid at low speeds and provides the gasoline engine with additional oomph when you open 'er up -- boosting acceleration by as much as 85 percent, the company says. The scooter can run in full electric or in one of three hybrid modes designed to maximize performance, maximize fuel economy or recharge the batteries quickly. Piaggio says the MP3 hybrid goes 60 kilometers on a liter of gas, which works out to about 141 mpg.
Regenerative braking helps charge the batteries, and Piaggio says the MP3 Hybrid will charge in as little as three hours when plugged into a standard wall socket.
While Piaggio hasn't said how much the MP3 Hybrid will cost or offered much in the way of specs, Wes Siler at Hell for Leather says the gas-electric combo should provide the MP3 Hybrid with the power of a 250cc gas scooter, giving it zero to 60 acceleration in the 5-second range.
Piaggio's been working on its HyS hybrid drivetrain for more than a year. It uses a four-stroke gasoline engine that runs at a near constant speed so it can be tuned for excellent fuel economy and low emissions. (Piaggio says the MP3 Hybrid emits 40 grams of carbon per kilometer; for comparison, the Prius emits 104.) The motor also charges the battery, which is located under the seat. A "fly by wire" system determines the optimal mix of gasoline and electric power depending upon rider demands. Motorcycle Consumer News says the HyS hybrid system can go about 12.5 miles on full electric power.
As for those two front wheels, they lean up to 40 degrees in turns just like a motorcycle. Piaggio, which introduced the MP3 two years ago, says the design improve traction, stability and braking to provide unparalleled (for a scooter) grip and excellent cornering capability. Having flogged a 250-cc MP3 in the Santa Cruz mountains, we can tell you it's a hoot. A plug-in version will only make it better.

I can understand the Hybrid option for cars as fully elctric High performance models are either still in deveopment or far too expensive for the average consumer.

But, too bring out a hybrid scooter when high performance is achievable with just battery power, I really do not see the sense of it.

Piaggio/Vespa/Gilera could have produced easily at this stage their own model to challenge, compete with Vectrix.

They didn't. A sign, in my opinion, that it really is true they have a finger in a very big pie called Petroleum!

Range - with a battery only there is a limited range. If you only use your scooter for only going up and back to work or for a few close errands its no big deal. With a hybrid you have the extended range of an ICE. So if you battery runs low your not stranded.

That's true, but if one needs to have a big range and intend to use motorways etc, I'd recommend to stick to a petrol motorcycle for the time being.

A hybrid motorcycle will cost much more than a petrol only one and it will occur all the extra costs of services and mantainance of the latter.
So I still don't get point. But that's just my opinion.

I've read that news today. It will do only 20km on the battery alone.

Thats almost a gimmick then - even the lower range chinese built things get better than that!

I also read that it will only recharge the battery by regen - what about generator power from the engine>

I also read that it will only recharge the battery by regen - what about generator power from the engine>

Makes perfect sense to me.

Engage regen braking(automatically) whilst the ICE is pushing!

It would make no sense to install another generator connected to the ICE when you have one big one already!

The Vectrix produces much higher currents during regen braking than during normal recharging, and uses only one of the three motor phases for it.

Vectrix would have had a chance to steal Piaggio's thunder with their all-electric version - if they hadn;t continued to procrasinate on the issue. From the Piaggio description this appears to be a kludge, and whilst I agree that it will remove the need that I currently have for TWO bikes (one for > 50 mile trips, the other for local) as a 125cc, bulling the additional weight of batteriesw and motor on a revamped MP3, I just don;t see it appealing to anyone other than 'opinion formers'.

Vectrix would have had a chance to steal Piaggio's thunder with their all-electric version - if they hadn;t continued to procrasinate on the issue.

Unless they get out of negative cash-flow they cannot hope to sustain another money-looser in their range. I would not call it procrastination.

Maybe they should have brought out the three-wheeler as the initial product, but I doubt that would have sold any better.

Unless they get out of negative cash-flow they cannot hope to sustain another money-looser in their range. I would not call it procrastination.

Maybe they should have brought out the three-wheeler as the initial product, but I doubt that would have sold any better.

I think a 3-wheeler as the first product would have been a grave mistake. Most people are use to 2-wheel vehicles and not the 3-wheeled version. I believe it would have been a bigger looser.

I would also point out that it is very normal for any new company to lose money for the first 5 years. I have been told by people in the know that to get a new venture off the ground you need enough money to get through the first 5 years knowing you will make NO money. It is not surprising Vectrix is where they are. If they can make it through the early years they will be on top of the heap for electric vehicle companies. With any luck their products will get much better as they are used by those early adapters.
I am not one of them only because I can't afford to be.

Grandpa Chas S.

I am not one of them only because I can't afford to be.

I watched one sell on eBay from Kentucky a week ago for around $5600. An 07 with 500 miles on it.

Thanks for the vote but even that is more than my pocket can afford.

Grandpa Chas S.

According to the 2008 Company Report, they've already built 219 of them - so not quite angel dust... they DO exist!

Hello

first 2 minutes of this video has a 3w Vectrix presentation:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3olhJKlhOQE&NR=1

Do note: the guy says "lesser range due to extra weight".

That extra wheel is a killer...! :)