Triciclo Pompéo - ethanol powered three-wheeler made for Brazil
Click on the image above for more shots of the Pompéo
There are plenty of people who would love to have the fuel mileage of a 250cc motorcycle, but choose not to ride one because of the inherent safety problems and the lack of weather protection. Brazilian company Triciclo thinks that they have the answer to this issue, and it's called the Pompéo. Using a small motorcycle engine which is capable of running on either gasoline or ethanol (important for the Brazilian market), the Pompéo is said to have decent performance due to its low weight. Also important is the fact that the machine - which looks kind of like the front half of a car - is fully enclosed, meaning that the occupants will stay dry no matter what the weather outside. Seat belts provide a measure of safety lacking from the typical motorcycle, although in some countries it will be classed as such regardless. Finally, the cost is said to be in-line with a 400cc motorcycle, meaning the Pompéo should be quite affordable.
We love the idea of the Pompéo and hope it reaches success in Brazil. Currently, there are plans to export the vehicle, but nothing is said of the European or North American market as of yet. Be sure to watch the short video after the break.
Gallery: Triciclo Pompeo
[Source: World Car Fans / Triciclo]
Video:
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Rick 7:05PM (3/25/2008)
Would it really hurt to add another wheel in the rear and to have the body extend down to cover up the sides and rear? Even if adding the 4th wheel can't be done, I don't like the exposed motorcycle wheel. It doesn't have to be naked back there, body paneling can cover it up and extend the overall look of the vehicle.
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A&W 12:48PM (3/25/2008)
Surprising to see a car like interior. Looks like airbags could be added. Has anyone made a three wheeler that can compete with four wheel entry level cars like the Aveo and Yaris?
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kevin 7:29PM (3/25/2008)
Hey that actually looks very nice. I woudl buy on lol
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TheSUBWAY.com 9:38PM (3/27/2008)
We found an interesting article about the problems with Ethanol on ConsumerReports.org:
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2008/03/ethanol-e85.html
"But there are some problems with increasing ethanol blends. Ethanol contains less energy than gasoline, so increasing the amount of ethanol in gasoline will likely result in lower fuel economy. Increasing standard fuel blends from zero to 10 percent ethanol, as is happening today, has little or no impact on fuel economy. In tests, the differences occur within the margin of error, about 0.5 percent. Further increasing ethanol levels to 20 percent reduces fuel economy between 1 and 3 percent, according to testing by the DOE and General Motors. Evaluations are underway to determine if E20 will burn effectively in today's engines without impacting reliability and longevity, and also assessing potential impact on fuel economy."
TheSUBWAY.com would like to invite readers to post their own views and ideas in TheSUBWAY.com's Investor Forum:
http://www.thesubway.com/small-cap-forum
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