Canada's Daymak launched a crowdfunding campaign back in March to get its ambitious Spiritus high-performance electric three-wheeler off the line. After securing a reported 25,000 preorders, it's moving forward with its first complete prototype. Set to run the huge gamut between $20K everyday commuter and six-figure all-out hyper-trike, the Spiritus is one of the more intriguing electric three-wheelers inching its way to market.
Daymak used to be a somewhat predictable purveyor of light electric vehicles like ebikes, burly ultra-fat scooters and ATVs, dating back to a time when electric everyday and recreational transport was far from the norm. In detailing plans for its Avvenire lineup last November, Daymak became anything but predictable, outlining plans for everything from electric transporter pods to a literal flying saucer. At the time, we were too skeptical to even publish an article, but the company keeps taking steps toward getting the Avvenire family of vehicles out there, and now it's moving the Spiritus prototype into testing and development.
The 152-in (385-cm) Spiritus is the two-seat three-wheeler of the Avvenire family, and Daymak believes it will be quicker from 0 to 60 mph (96.5 km/h) than the Tesla Model S Plaid or Rimac Nevera. The completed prototype looks much like it did in renderings, its curvy front fenders swooping down and in to frame out the trapezoidal grille and headlights.
It might just be the angle photographed below, but the rear-end looks more aggressive now than in earlier pictures. The thruster-like taillight housings extend out between the long, thin tail and equally shiny diffuser, and the wheel rides farther out from the body than initially displayed.
The butterfly doors certainly look like much too much for the humble US$19,995 180-mile (290-km) Deluxe base model, but they will fit right in on the next model up — the $149,000 1,350-lb (612-kg) carbon fiber Ultimate edition with its 1.8-second 0-60 mph (96.5 km/h) and 300-mile (480-km) range estimates.
As if the massive gap between those two models isn't odd enough, Daymak plans to make the Spiritus a little weirder, announcing in June that it will become the first car in history with a user interface that includes crypto-mining hardware and cryptocurrency software. When parked, the little two-seater will use Daymak's Nebula suite to mine cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Dogecoin, making itself something of a side gig for its owner.
"We envision a future where your highway tolls, your parking and your drive-thru order will be paid directly on the fly with crypto," Daymak president Aldo Baiocchi explained during the announcement. "Your online bills and your banking can be handled through the same software platform paid in crypto. And whereas most vehicles are depreciating while they sit in your garage, the Nebula Miner will make you money while your Spiritus is parked."
That move reeks of trying to out-Musk Elon, but perhaps it'll one day numb the sting of paying $150K for a trike.
Up next, Daymak will incorporate its Ondata wireless charging system into the Spiritus prototype and work on fine-tuning the torque-distribution system for optimal handling, stability and performance. Its plans still call for a 2023 production launch.
We're not wagering that the Spiritus, or any other Avvenire vehicle, ends up as more than fanciful vaporware, but presenting a prototype is a first step toward solidifying the vapor, and frankly, further than we originally imagined the Avvenire family going. Now we'd like to see some video of the Spiritus prototype performing some of the feats Daymak says it's capable of, so long as it doesn't include much footage of crypto mining.
Source: Daymak