Some people in certain countries probably feel very frustrated, as even though they have the cash to afford a Tesla Model S, it’s still very hard for them to buy one without leaving their country’s borders.
The same can be said about us after we see this video of Sôki, an electric vehicle developed in Chile that’s said to go on sale shortly. What’s the big deal about it? Well, it looks like a better version of Renault’s Twizy, and having ridden in the French quadricycle, we doubt it can be a worse drive.
The Sôki is the brainchild of Daniel Pavez, who says that the three-wheeled vehicle started off as a personal project but later turned into a challenge, as he realized there was some real potential to his idea.
According to Mr. Pavez, the Sôki is supposed to offer the comfort and safety of a traditional car, the agility of a motorcycle and the efficiency of a bicycle, while keeping the vehicle as economical as possible. Well, all that sounds very good, but it also seems impossible.
First of all, a vehicle this size will never be as comfortable or as safe as a normal car because... physics. And since it has two front wheels, it will never cut through city traffic like a motorcycle. As for the bicycle comparison, as long as it doesn’t run on your sweat, that doesn’t stand either.
But the Sôki is still a cool electric tricycle. It comes with a nice design, it has a completely enclosed cockpit (unlike the Twizy, which used transparent plastic panels with zippers to - partially - keep the rain away), it offers seating for two, and it has decent ratings for an urban cruiser: a limited top speed of 37 mph (60 km/h) and a maximum total range of 37 miles (60 km). But these numbers could be improved with better battery packs and a more powerful motor (it currently has a 7-kW - or 10 hp - one).
The project has received some government support from the Chilean Economic Development Agency (CORFO), so the Sôki is shortly going to be put on sale. It won’t be cheap, though, with an estimated price of around $12,000, and it also won’t officially make it out of the South American country. Which is a shame - unless it’s Renault you’re asking, that is.
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