Design Concepts: The New Tricycle

The Web is teeming with the unrealized ideas of both students and established designers who set out to produce astonishing renderings and prototypes for unusual products. Unfortunately, due to the lack of time, money, or technology, many of those products never progress from the planning stages to the mass market. But that doesn't mean we can't salivate over them, nevertheless.

What will our daily commutes look like twenty years from now? Well, considering fears (and realities) of a peak oil catastrophe, we hopefully won't be driving gas-guzzlers or any other petroleum-based vehicles in the future. While converting to electric won't solve the oil problem, we'll at least be pumping fewer pollutants into the air per capita. And when society finally shuts down because we've run out of petroleum, use the remaining battery life in your three-wheeled electric transport to high-tail it to the mountains as martial law comes down.

But seriously, electric cars are becoming increasingly popular with designers (we saw Yves Behar's electro-car concept just last week), but even more popular are three-wheeled varieties of vehicle. Why? Three wheels mean one less tire (and saving gallons and gallons of petroleum used to make that tire), which also means less drag and increased fuel efficiency. The teardrop shape (two wheels in front, one in back) creates lower wind resistance which makes your battery's charge live longer. Check out some of our favorite recent concepts for these tri-wheeled beauties below.

3R-C by Honda

Honda's 3R-C concept vehicle was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show this week, and this speedy electric ride looks straight out of 'Aeon Flux.' The single-occupant vehicle holds little more than your person and a small sampling of gear, but it also teaches a valuable lesson in minimalism and utility: take only what you need and buy only what you can carry. (Most New Yorkers are accustomed to this rule.) For sure, the 3R-C is not for toting around a gaggle of toddlers nor great for riding to a monthly Costco pilgrimage, but it makes sense for daily commutes and city living. The 3R-C's drive-train and battery are mounted low on the chassis for better stability, and the high sides of the shell provide greater safety from sideways impacts.

Emcycle by Michael Scholey

Michael Scholey's Emcycle is quite possibly the most adorable little transport we've ever seen. This nigh-anorexic hybrid cycle looks straight out of a Pixar film, but doesn't skimp on the features like the minimalist EVE. The rider can choose to pedal light, hard, or not at all with the assistance of an electric motor. But with a beautifully electric dashboard and MP3 plug-in, you probably won't notice your hamstrings getting buff in the meanwhile. The body is fully enclosed with lockable doors, as well as rollover protection and a windshield wiper. And if you break a sweat as you zip by at 40 mph, just flick on the filtered ventilation. This is the most tricked-out bike we've ever seen.

BamTrike by Alexander Vittouris

Monash student Alexander Vittouris designed the BamTrike with the goal of influencing consumers to appreciate the materials used to create goods. By literally surrounding the driver with bamboo, Vittouris hopes their customers will make the mental connections between resource, commodity, production and consumption. His BamTrike's bamboo chassis, which has structural similarities to fiberglass, is strong, lightweight and beautiful. The driver sits in a recumbent position while exercising pedal-power to move along the road. We probably wouldn't take it on a cross-country bike trip -- but, for impressing eco-chic guys and gals, it'll certainly do the trick.

Flux bike by Leigh Hendrik Cosentino

Resembling some kind of giant insect, the Flux bike is a semi-recumbent personal transport that evokes forward design. Another hybrid vehicle, Leigh Hendrik Cosentino's Flux offsets peddling with an electric motor and incorporates a tilting mechanism for more stable turns. The doors open vertically, just like a DeLorean. We know that all you cycling fascists love your fixies and seemingly dangerous tall bikes, but we prefer low-to-the-ground, beautiful designs like Flux. Make the switch, hipsters.

Urban Jet by Cherban

The Urban Jet is, allegedly, just as fast as it sounds. With the ability to go from zero to 60 mph in under 3.5 seconds (and topping out at 150 mph), the Urban Jet doesn't stop its terror there. It leans up to 45 degrees (much like the Nissan Landglider), which would scare the hell out of us past 60 mph, but we trust Cherban's engineers to know physics better than us... and the vehicle's body is made from aramid fiber, a material used in ballistic-rated body armor. Steering is controlled via handlebar, with a tech-alicious dashboard featuring iPod and 3G connectivity. The shell is enclosed for inclement weather and helmet-less driving, but also has a convertible mode. Urban Jet is powered with a lithium battery and an electric motor, meaning that a 150-minute charge will net you 220 miles of bullet-proof, high-speed, MP3-blasting bliss.

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