While never gaining much popularity, three-wheeled vehicles do have a certain performance appeal to them. For the 21st century, Epic EV took the three-wheeled concept and turned it into an electric vehicle, and this week they delivered their first model…to a former Tesla Motors executive.
Three-wheeled vehicles have been around since the first automobiles puttered along cobblestone streets. Perhaps the most popular three-wheeler was the Morgan, which is set to return to production after a long hiatus. The Epic EV Torq Roadster is a 21st century rendition of the Morgan, but with a single electric motor powering the lonely rear wheel to the tune of 400 horsepower and 600 ft-lbs of torque. That’s a lotta power for three wheels.
The very first Torq Roadster was delivered for former Tesla exec David Vespremi, who just won a substantial settlement against Tesla Motors for what amounts to wrongful termination. Vespremi was forced out of Tesla back in 2008, and was only just awarded $207,000 in damages. The Epic EV Torq Roadster starts at $65,000, leaving Vespremi plenty of money leftover.
The Torq Roadster falls into a new class of pure hobbyist vehicles like the Ariel Atom. While street legal, these vehicles are designed for track performance, and the Torq is capable of achieving up to 1.3 g’s of lateral acceleration. With electric vehicles increasingly associated with performance, this is one trend that could be infinitely beneficial to the electric car movement.
Source: Epic EV
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