Pandur is an Eco-friendly Trike Design that Adapts Its Tires to Road Conditions

That’s basically the only interaction you could have with this design. It’s called the Pandur. It’s a trike concept by Lucian Popescu of Timisoara, Romania. If you'd study the geography of that country, you’d understand why I mentioned mountain scenery. It’s a pretty rugged place with nearly 30% of its surface area occupied by mountains. Add on just that much more hilly areas, and that is most of the country.

So to navigate through such terrain Lucian created the Pandur. First off, it’s a one-rider vehicle. This makes it compact, nimble, and energy efficient. Remember, the smaller an object is, the less energy it takes to propel it. As for the how compact it is, once again, this is in line with tight mountains routes with two-lane roads.

As for the body design, it’s rather simply put together. But we all know simplicity is usually best. Let’s start with the chassis or frame, depending on which vehicle associations this design sparks in your brain. The chassis is made with the use of metal.

Exactly what metal, we don’t know. But then here’s where it gets interesting. Atop that frame there is another component, the seat. But this seat isn’t long enough just for the driver to sit in. It extends over the control arms and includes the headlights, underneath the driver, creating a cushioned seat, to finally end over the rear tire, creating the fender and splash guard.

As for driving this dream machine, the driver sits with his or her feet planted on two pedals, just as you would in a car, but the steering wheel has actually been replaced by two rods that are held in each hand. We aren’t told anything as to how they function, but similar systems do exist and to steer, you push forward one of the rods to turn in the direction you wish.

As for how the turn is taken by the actual vehicle, it’s somewhere between a bike and a car. When you want to turn, the entire vehicle will lean toward the direction of the turn, much like on a motorcycle, while at the same time keeping the driver as upright as possible.

Speaking of driver, what about protection? It seems that you need some courage to speed through mountain roads full of all kind of bugs ready to smash into your face. Don’t worry, the body design is made to throw incoming air upward, over the driver, creating naturally occurring protection.

Now, it is considered an EV. The front two wheels house the battery systems, which also recharge as the wheels turn, while the massive rear wheel includes the motor for the contraption. You know what, all this talk about wheels and I nearly forgot one of the most important aspects of this trike.

Whenever you change terrains, a set of hydraulic pumps are activated and can change the shape and dynamics of the tires. This allows the vehicle to perform at optimum levels on a number of terrains.

Sure, it may just be a conceptual design, but some of the technological ideas it showcases could one day be seen on more than just this idea. After all, it’s why we like these sorts of dream machines.