Nobe 3-wheel EV car

spinningmagnets

spinningmagnets

100 TW
Joined
Dec 21, 2007
Messages
12,957
Location
Ft Riley, NE Kansas
https://mynobe.com/

The founder is from Estonia, which gained independence from Russia in 1991. Its an AWD vehicle using 3 hubmotors.

It has a charger that takes 120V AC, and the suitcase sized battery is removable so it can be charged indoors, for those owners who dont have a garage. They claim 170 mile range, but anything over 100 (*using brisk acceleration) will be popular.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gx025RjGUEg

[youtube]gx025RjGUEg[/youtube]
 
For some reason, it makes me think of The Prisoner, or perhaps just Secret Agent. (despite the most famous car from that being a Lotus)
 
Actually you are correct to be reminded of Patrick McGoohan. While 'The Prisoner' Number 6 did indeed drive a Lotus 6, which probably is where the deranged agent came up with his number, the two John Drakes, agents of NATO and Military Intelligence, drove plenty of cars you must be remembering from 'Danger Man' and 'The Secret Agent.'

James Bond was supposed to be driving the Aston Martin DB Mark III drophead coupe in the original film because the producer thought it was so kewl when Drake drove it in 'Danger Man,' but Aston Martin delivered the wrong car. Oops, the wrong actor arrived too, they wanted McGoohan to be Bond but he said no.

In 'The Secret Agent' there was the Austin Mini Cooper, of course.

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3 wheel cars always make me think of the Velorex Oskar. If the weather was bad, you'd snap the tarp on, otherwise you run around in the bare frame.

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I'm a big Patrick McGoohan fan, so I've read plenty about this. I've never met anyone from that '6 of One' club who probably have the proper answer, I just know it is bandied about that it was the 6, of course near identical to a 7. Obviously the preferred discussion to believe it was the 6, right? Driven by a man having a breakdown who believes they named him after his car. Arrrrrgh! Another part of that discussion is there were two different cars, the second with a Caterham connection before Caterham took over the 7.

I bought a frame years ago to build a Locost Se7en, but it arrived damaged and I had a back injury and never figured out how to fix it.

People do talk of a 3 wheel Locost, but by then is it still a Locost?

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The 7 was a very different car to. The 6 using much revised chassis and better running gear
..from memory, that “C” registration suffix would make that a 1965 build vehicle....so not likely to have been in the earlier DM episodes.
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FYI...
There used to be a UK game show called. “Take your Pick”.
Basic stuff with contestants answerig a few questions and if successful, they could choose to either take some money, or “Open the Box”. any one of several sealed mystery prize boxes.
One week (several maybe), the secret top prize was a wooden crate containing a complete Lotus 7 in component form.!
.....Valued at £720 ..!!
even then , in my early teens, i badly wanted that car !
 
Someone had a '64 for sale quite some distance from me but in SoCal. Not running, not sure the drive train because the guy died and the disinterested family discovered it in his storage when they thought he's sold it years ago. Not so expensive but a potential moneypit.

Hard to think back on. The beat up Ford GT kits were way too pricey, but I should have considered that Lotus worth a shot.

But if only I was able to get the Locust plans, or the other I think was called the Hornet. I can do fiberglas over foam instead of wood and build the ladder frame. And electric. But I have no luck with the plans.
 
When they are so bashful of showing the price, me thinks it is a toy for the rich. I wish them luck competing against the $4000 EV cars from China. Those cars I can imagine regular folk driving to the shopping mall or the workplace. They have sold tens of thousands in the first few mo. of release. The $4000 ones still look rather odd, but the $10000 ones look like a regular 'honda/toyota/nissan/mazda'.
Edit: the price for the base model is $40,000 . Yep, toy for the rich. Get rich quick dream of some dudes i guess.
 
I'm sure he says $40k because there are addons and delivery charges he knows he'll have to pay.

So a $4k electric from China is an NEV, not a highway vehicle or anything most people can drive to work. Might be useful to have around for a lot of families. The $10k probably has a steering column that will decapitate you in a head on collision, as all cars used to do. I'm sure between the upgrades to pass American safety and the cost of shipping it here it's going to cost---well, forget $10k.

So it's good for these people to build a car that gets Amberwolf thinking of glamorous TV characters, for what it will cost to be useful you need the upscale customers.

(Speaking of glamorous TV characters, some associated with the show that McGoohan himself created said that the reason the show ends with McGoohan unmasking himself as Number 1 is because he was the one who proposed building something like The Village for the recalcitrant spies and/or those becoming unhinged on his side. He was thinking some foreign power had taken him but he comes to realize his own side is using his own work against him. They dropped the theme in development but kept that ending. Fascinating show.)
 
Quite a shame that they ignored using a less steep windshield angle.. and those headlights are an aerodynamic disaster too. Maybe not all aspects of vintage car designs should be carried over. Could have had another 20 miles of range by truly streamlining it.

I've looked at these autocycles since they're legal to operate and license in Utah.. every single one has pretty bad aerodynamic design which makes them even more of a limited vehicle than they already are. And the prices are an ouch also. Someone really needs to mass manufacture these things.
 
Nice article.
That Nobe next looks pretty nicely streamlined and i could probably go for it..

Vanderhall is a 20 min drive away from me and i've been thinking of giving them a visit to see if i can get my hands on a motorless model.
 
It appears that all 3 wheels steer to turn. Many electric forklifts have 3 wheels but only the single back wheel can steer. The 2 front wheels only power the lift forward and backwards, so turning is done with "reverse" steering.
 
Hillhater said:
3 wheel steering seems a little excessive for a simple car..
Especially when it could be NO wheels steering..
[youtube]CjcyHicm3NA[/youtube]
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I couldn't hear in video whether it turns from front/ rear, but my guess is that the rear wheel, at minimum does the turning. All 3 wheel drive is stated here in article. The video does show how much safer or stable this 3 type wheeler is to the old tricycle style. Nobody makes old trike style ATV's or cars out of fear of lawsuit. I don't even know if they are allowed in many places.
 
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