Urban Transport

Tilting e-quad gets tilting trike stablemate

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The new EV4 e-trike has the same design aesthetic as last year's tilting quad bike
EV4 trike by night, though there are no lights on the electric-assist three-wheeler
Jack Skopinski's EV4 e-quad is joined by a tilting three-wheeler
The e-trike has a similar design aesthetic to the last year's quad, with lots of rivets, bolts and metal sheeting attached to its aluminum frame
Side view of the mechanical tilting mechanism
The 20-inch rear wheel hosts a 250 W hub motor, there's hydraulic disc braking and Shimano gears
Lots of rivets, bolts and metal sheeting attached to the e-trike's aluminum frame
There's a wire basket behind the seat for carrying shopping or travel essentials
The 16-inch front wheels are connected to the same mechanical tilting system as seen on the EV4 four-wheeler
The EV4 e-trike can stay upright without relying on its kickstand
The rear wheel hub motor and Shimano gears
A DT Swiss shock absorber at the rear helps smooth out the bumps
The rider gets electric assist when pumping the Shimano cranks
Each of the three wheels has hydraulic disc braking
The front wheels in full tilt mode
The new EV4 e-trike has the same design aesthetic as last year's tilting quad bike
The tilting mechanism and suspension system is good for urban streets and off-road adventures
The EV4 e-trike can stay upright without relying on its kickstand
The tilting mechanism and suspension system is good for urban streets and off-road adventures
View gallery - 18 images

E-bikes are a great alternative to a commute by car, and are not quite the lazy cycling option some folks believe them to be. But if you want a little more stability combined with a tight turning circle, Poland's Jack Skopinski has built an electric-assist tricycle that makes use of the same exposed tilting mechanism as his wonderfully industrial-looking EV4 quad bike.

Skopinski says that his EV4 tricycle is designed for "sensational cornering in the urban jungle," but that the tilting mechanism and suspension system also makes it a good fit for off-road adventures.

The tilting mechanism and suspension system is good for urban streets and off-road adventures

The 150 cm long, 60 cm wide and 110 cm in height (59 x 23.6 x 43.3 in) e-trike has a 36 V, 13 Ah in-frame battery pack and a 250 W brushless electric motor for a pedal-assist range of up to 80 km (50 miles) and 25 km/h (16 mph) top speed. The battery takes about 4 hours to charge.

The e-trike has a similar design aesthetic to the last year's quad, with lots of rivets, bolts and metal sheeting attached to its aluminum frame, which has a wire basket behind the seat for carrying shopping or travel essentials.

The EV4 e-trike can stay upright without relying on its kickstand

The 16-inch front wheels are connected to the same mechanical tilting system as seen on the four-wheeler, but there's just the one 20-inch wheel to the rear. All three wheels have hydraulic disc brakes and two DT Swiss shock absorbers help smooth out the bumps. A mid-handlebar cycling computer shows performance data.

The EV4 trike tips the scales at 35 kg (77 lb), including the battery, and is built to order for €2,000 (about US$2,200). Skopinski told us that it takes around 2 months to build and ship.

You can see the creator zipping around on an EV4 trike in the video below.

Source: Aero-Service

View gallery - 18 images
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5 comments
bobflint
Is that flat boardwalk the only place he was allowed to circle around?
I have an almost 50 year old Raleigh chopper that looks and rides better than that, that is allowed on roads, & bike paths
unklmurray
No ,Bob that is just where he chose to set down his camera that he wasn't worried about it getting stolen whilist he rode around, and your 50 year old Raleigh chopper is a piece of dung by comparison,I think you are just jealous!! The Raleigh doesn't have the tilting ,and only comes with the 2 wheels in back ,oh yeah, it does tilt, Tip-over,in a corner,they were notorious for tipping over,that is one reason they aren't available today...... I like these and as soon as I can I plan to get me 2 or more!!
Michael Crumpton
While it is an admirable engineering achievement, I am struggling to see what the advantage of this is. It looks cool, but is that worth the complexity and indubitably impressive pricetag? If it was a cargo bike I could see the advantage of being able to stand it upright when stopped or unpiloted, with the cargo still vertical. But it's not.
StWils
Keep working on the idea. Try a more recumbent position with the rider's head shoulders roughly at the same level as a car and the pedals roughly on the same axis line as the front wheels. A somewhat longer wheelbase and a recumbent position with the head & shoulders at car level should keep a rider in the line of sight with cars and also gain all the benefits on recumbent positioning with tilting added. Also, the steering should be underhanded and positioned to keep the rider's hands & arms relatively close to the body. Overall the centre of gravity would be low with the rider in the centre of tilting position for best control. Again, nice try but keep working on this!
Jimjam
Someone needs to stick a weatherproof cover/case/pod on top of this thing. Then make it self driving so that it can overcome the "last mile problem" for train stations and public transport by dropping people at their doors then returning to the station.