Venture Vehicles gets $6 Million in Venture Capital
Click the VentureOne to enlarge and see a gallery
Venture Vehicles, the company working on the articulated three wheeled VentureOne vehicle, has just taken a big step toward financial sustainability for itself. They've received $6 million in Series A venture capital funding from NGEN Partners. Like Zap and Aptera Motors, Venture is taking the three wheeler route because it allows them to avoid the costly and time consuming process and engineering involved with automotive safety compliance.
Anything with less than four wheels is considered a motorcycle and doesn't have to be crash tested or fitted with systems like airbags. All of that saves a lot of money and weight which is critical for electrically driven vehicles to maximize range.
[Source: Dow Jones]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Chuck Dolan 1:57AM (6/19/2008)
This is the only model that looks cool. http://www.autobloggreen.com/photos/ventureone-and-carver-three-wheelers/162153/
All the others I've seen so far look like crap. Please, build it cool or don't biuld it at all! (You need to get people turned on to electric vehicles--not turned off).
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rgseidl 5:14PM (8/22/2007)
I think the front portion of this design looks better than the Carver it's based on. The BEV and PHEV drivetrains make sense for such a lightweight vehicle, though a regular motorcycle drivetrain with robotized clutch and gear change actuation might be a cheaper entry-level option.
Either way, this should be great for the daily commute (on the carpool lane!) and fun drives through the twisty stuff on the weekend. $18-$23k isn't exactly cheap but you'll get a lot more enjoyment out of it than from most any subcompact.
As in the EU, you don't need a helmet nor a motorcycle endorsement on your license to drive this in California. Rules vary by state, though, so do check before you ride in one.
One niggle: the extreme slope of the windshield/panoramic roof could make for some toasty temperatures if you park it out in the sun in summer. In winter, the windows could fog up easily.
One available option would be "smart glass" that is transparent at visible wavelengths but opaque in the infrared. Unfortunately, that's either got a yellow-greenish tint that changes with the viewing angle or, you need to slap about 10 expensive coatings onto a different glass formulation.
Btw, the Shell building in Amsterdam actually features windows coated with a super-thin vapor deposited layer of gold, to reduce heating and air conditioning costs. I'm not sure if that would be legal for a vehicle in the US, but nothing would say bling like gold-coated windows. Your insurance broker might agree, though!
http://www.minbuza.nl/binaries/afbeeldingen-nieuw/foto-album/nederland-in-beelden/detailfoto-s/041.jpg
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Brian 8:02AM (8/06/2008)
Looks interesting. Does anyone know when the Sidam Xnovo will be on the market. Looks good for what we want. although th etrails on the MP3 have worked well. We need a number of 3 wheelers with carrying capacity for a business in the major cities of UK. Only up to 125cc as many users will only have just passed restricted licence.
Kardax 6:32PM (8/22/2007)
$6 million is probably enough to bring any three-wheeler to market. I was suspicious about Venture Vehicles before, but if this story is true, then I see it as inevitable now :)
I'll refrain from getting excited, though. The picture shown here is an early photoshop mockup. The actual vehicle will look significantly different. It's also over a year away; given that there hasn't even been a prototype built yet.
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Brian 3:53AM (8/23/2007)
just to point out some facts about the Venture One... It will have air bags as well as bumpers and side impact rails and collapsable steeering colunm that is just to name a few safety features they are putting in these vehicles they come standard. also part of their satndard safety features are ABS and traction control. If I am not mistaken Ian Bruce the Co-Founder of the company has stated that although they are not required to perform any crash testing he said that we can all agree it is the righ thing to do, and that they will be conducting them.
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Tim 10:04AM (8/23/2007)
This vehicle looks like a LOT of fun!
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Tim Russell 12:32PM (8/23/2007)
If it's safe like Brian said I want one, looks like a blast for a commuter. Gets rid of all the extra crap that makes up a 4 wheeled auto. I commute alone so I don't need the extra seats. I might stop at a store but it's for something small so no problem.
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Ian Bruce 4:41PM (8/23/2007)
Kardaz wrote: "$6 million is probably enough to bring any three-wheeler to market."
Our $6 million Series A raise is paying for the vehicle's design. engineering, and initial branding development.
Actually bringing the vehicle to market (including: brand development, marketing, advertising, tooling, factory build-out, etc.) is covered in our larger Series B raise.
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Snoopy 11:42PM (9/04/2007)
There has been a lot of talk about this kind of stuff over at the FlytheRoad forum. There are also quite a few very edgy people who can't stand going a week without any word from Venture Vehicles (myself included admittedly).
If anybody wants to stay up to date with the discussions though, I highly suggest joining the forum.
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RICK 3:40PM (9/08/2007)
My interest extends to the EV version. The in-wheel motors sound great. What is the source of this technology? Will these motors be built in California? With unique designs such as this the resistance to buyers will be reliability and customer support. What does the network of service and maintenance options look like?
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