Photo: Dechavesmotion
At some point in history, people decided that vehicles with three wheels were a bad idea, and you can probably blame the Reliant Robin for that. They figured that having all four wheels outweighed the cost savings of skipping one, so trikes and three-wheeled vehicles all but disappeared.
Today, you can count them on the fingers of one hand, and you’d still be left with a few to spare. This scarcity makes it all the more surprising that one of them actually uses an electric powertrain. We’re talking, of course, about the wonky Morgan EV3, the battery-powered version of the Morgan 3 Wheeler.
However, you can’t really call the 3 Wheeler – or the EV3 – a trike. They’re more like a regular lightweight sports car that’s had a mishap and lost one of its rear wheels, with a mechanic at hand to place the remaining one square in the middle. They are immensely fun to drive, but they still very much feel like a car. They have a cockpit, even though it’s open-top, and they also have a steering wheel.
The Mille Miglia concept, on the other hand, has none of those. This is the kind of thing that bridges the gap between motorcycles and cars, allowing those who normally use the latter to enjoy the thrills only the former can provide.
The electric trike is just a concept at the moment, but the plan is to have it built as a prototype. It was commissioned by Carles de Vera to a design outfit called Dechavesmotion, ran by Pablo de Chaves and was named after the famous race that ran through the idyllic Italian countryside more than half a century ago.
Its design is also a tribute to those long-gone era, even though the modern touch is also clearly visible. However, you can’t really appreciate the Mille Miglia until you see how the rider sits in it (or rather on it) and how it handles in corners.
Considering the position, the last thing you want to do on the Mille Miglia is hit something head-on. That being said, the electric trike promises to be extremely nimble, leaning into corners as you would on a regular bike for improved control and stability. That’s probably the most bike-like feel you can have without actually hopping onto one. It’s definitely something different than what the Can-Am Spyder offers.
The technical details are sparse at the moment, which is only natural in this early stage of the development. They say they intend to build it using a powertrain sourced from Zero Motorcycles, which is probably the best place to go looking for something like that at this moment. Expect the final design to have a few convenience modifications such as side mirrors and some fenders for the front wheels, but hopefully Pablo de Chaves will find a way to keep the additions to a minimum and keep with this minimalistic design.
However, you can’t really call the 3 Wheeler – or the EV3 – a trike. They’re more like a regular lightweight sports car that’s had a mishap and lost one of its rear wheels, with a mechanic at hand to place the remaining one square in the middle. They are immensely fun to drive, but they still very much feel like a car. They have a cockpit, even though it’s open-top, and they also have a steering wheel.
The Mille Miglia concept, on the other hand, has none of those. This is the kind of thing that bridges the gap between motorcycles and cars, allowing those who normally use the latter to enjoy the thrills only the former can provide.
The electric trike is just a concept at the moment, but the plan is to have it built as a prototype. It was commissioned by Carles de Vera to a design outfit called Dechavesmotion, ran by Pablo de Chaves and was named after the famous race that ran through the idyllic Italian countryside more than half a century ago.
Its design is also a tribute to those long-gone era, even though the modern touch is also clearly visible. However, you can’t really appreciate the Mille Miglia until you see how the rider sits in it (or rather on it) and how it handles in corners.
Considering the position, the last thing you want to do on the Mille Miglia is hit something head-on. That being said, the electric trike promises to be extremely nimble, leaning into corners as you would on a regular bike for improved control and stability. That’s probably the most bike-like feel you can have without actually hopping onto one. It’s definitely something different than what the Can-Am Spyder offers.
The technical details are sparse at the moment, which is only natural in this early stage of the development. They say they intend to build it using a powertrain sourced from Zero Motorcycles, which is probably the best place to go looking for something like that at this moment. Expect the final design to have a few convenience modifications such as side mirrors and some fenders for the front wheels, but hopefully Pablo de Chaves will find a way to keep the additions to a minimum and keep with this minimalistic design.
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