Urban Transport

Tilting electric three-wheeler scoots down roads or trails

Tilting electric three-wheeler scoots down roads or trails
A number of color options are available
A number of color options are available
View 10 Images
A number of color options are available
1/10
A number of color options are available
The D05 rocks independent suspension to the front, and spring shocks at the back
2/10
The D05 rocks independent suspension to the front, and coil shocks at the back
The D05 features adaptive LED lighting to the front
3/10
The D05 features adaptive LED lighting to the front
The D05 is being manufactured in China, and is expected to ship to Indiegogo backers in the US in February 2022
4/10
The D05 is being manufactured in China, and is expected to ship to Indiegogo backers in the US in February 2022
The D05 sports a custom Bosch hub motor to the rear that offers 94.4 lb.ft of torque
5/10
The D05 sports a custom Bosch hub motor to the rear that offers 94.4 lb.ft of torque
Riders can safely take an alternative route to work on the D05
6/10
Riders can safely take an alternative route to work on the D05
The front wheels are protected by bumpers
7/10
The front wheels are protected by bumpers
Though there is a kickstand, the D05's self-balancing mechanism should see it stand upright when parked
8/10
Though there is a kickstand, the D05's self-balancing mechanism should see it stand upright when parked
There's a storage cubby for a smartphone to the front, with a USB charging port
9/10
There's a storage cubby for a smartphone to the front, with a USB charging port
The Li-ion battery can be removed for charging indoors
10/10
The Li-ion battery can be removed for charging indoors
View gallery - 10 images

Electric mobility startup Leaf Energy already has a number of electric delivery solutions, ebikes and e-scooters in its line up, and has now launched another on Indiegogo in the shape of a funky looking all-terrain tilting three-wheeler called the D05.

The reverse trike e-scooter features independent suspension to the front that allows riders to lean into the corners, and a self-balancing mechanism means that riders won't have to kick out a stand when parked. If stopping on an incline, a flick of a switch locks the front wheels to prevent rollback.

The D05 rocks independent suspension to the front, and spring shocks at the back
The D05 rocks independent suspension to the front, and coil shocks at the back

Leaf Energy says that the D05 benefits from a customized Bosch rear-hub motor for up to 1.2 kW of peak power, 94 lb.ft (128 Nm) of torque and urban or trail scooting at up to 25 mph (40 km/h). And a 1.25 kWh removable Li-ion battery pack rocking LG or Panasonic cells is reported good for up to 45 miles (72.5 km) of per-charge range, with motor braking potentially adding a little more range by topping up the battery.

Hydraulic disc braking on each wheel is said to offer "1.5 times the braking force of a two-wheel scooter," there's adaptive LED lighting to the front and a Lummit LED rear/brake light, the backlit LCD display comes with built-in Bluetooth to connect to a smartphone running a companion app for vehicle status, GPS tracking and more, and that phone can be stowed away in a storage cubby to the front, with a USB port to keep it topped up.

Riders can safely take an alternative route to work on the D05
Riders can safely take an alternative route to work on the D05

Leaf Energy has launched its production bid on Indiegogo, where pledges start at US$2,995, a saving of 29 percent on the expected retail price. A bunch of accessories are also up for grabs as stretch goals, including storage boxes, a rain cover, and a bike lock. If all goes to plan, shipping is estimated to start in February 2022. The video below has more.

D05 AD

Update August 20: Some readers have pointed out similarities with this model and one sold in China, but Leaf Energy has told us that its model has been modified to comply with US regulations, and been treated to an improved feature set.

Source: Leaf Energy

View gallery - 10 images
7 comments
7 comments
Robert Kowalski
Looks like just like "V28 Tilting electric scooter" available from multiple sellers from china for 2000$ for multiple months now
wolf0579
This entire concept is just stupid, imitating being on a banked track while on flat ground. But don't let me rain on your stupidity parade...
Daishi
Arcimoto bought Tilting Motor Works and will be coming out with something like this too. Tilting trikes are a good idea because you have 2 basic options for cornering stability: You can be wide enough with a low enough center of gravity (like a car) that you don't roll over from the cornering force or you can lean like a motorcycle. This concept makes it hard to build narrow wheelbase vehicles. They will roll over for being too narrow unless they are built to tilt like motorcycles. Electric trikes are so much more energy efficient than cars I think the government should be giving ATMV loans (and grants) to companies like Arcimoto trying to solve the problem.
Spud Murphy
Not the first time I've seen products being pushed on indiegogo as "new" when in fact they are off the shelf units made in China. IGG need to do much better in weeding out these products.
BlueOak
The only challenge? Being that it must be used in public, there’s little chance of riding it without being seen on it!
Markjon
25 mph is more like an electric bike than a scooter so you will be relegated to the bike lane in CA. I'd rather have the Ola S1 for under $2,000 (https://newatlas.com/motorcycles/ola-electric-scooter-india/). 71 MPH and 111 mile range.
Barry Nugent
I would be asking why newatlas is posting this marketing for Leaf Energy as a 'production bid' for this tilting scooter requires building something new, refer itango on the alibaba website for $1200 - 1400 USD/piece for 10 units plus shipping for an identical scooter to "D05" less the branding labels