Now that I’m bach-ing it for a month, I actually have to endure the humiliation of shopping, my almost-least favorite activity (and fortunately (or not), Stephanie’s almost-favorite activity). But that opens some new vistas, as parking lots get visited by cars that otherwise don’t hang out on the street. Like this home-built electric three-wheeler; I’ve seen it humming on the streets before, but never caught up with it. So here we meet at last, and I can share the builder’s obvious two loves: wooden boats and EVs.
Let’s take a quick tour, from bow to stern. Nice craftsmanship; I suspect he tends to avoid parallel parking on streets.
Like so many rwd trikes, this one also uses a VW front suspension.
Unlike boats that proudly display their names on the stern, this one goes on the…what is the side of a boat called? Oh, right; gunwale.
The cockpit shows off the inner structure, which was wisely not made from wood.
click for full size (like all pictures at CC)
For the perpetually curious onlookers, the owner has wisely made a fact sheet, as well as a website: http://www.xp-humm-e.info/ It’s a well designed rig of this sort, the kind of lightweight urban runabout for which conventional lead-acid batteries are fairly well suited.
A motorcycle donor-mobile makes up the stern end. I could enjoy bopping around town in this on a sunny day. Now if it were amphibious too, that would be something. Canoeing or kayaking down the Willamette River, which runs right through the heart of Eugene, requires a tedious car shuttle. Come on someone out there! There’s a real market for an amphibious EV. Doesn’t even have to be wood; in fact I’d just as soon it wasn’t. I’m not wild about annual varnishing.
Marvelous! Beautiful, the finest DIY EV trike I’ve ever seen. What could be more quintessentially of its place and time?
Amphibious EV, hmmm. Tadpole trike like this, but put the front and rear wheels outside the hull. I wonder if a hub motor can be made waterproof. Paddle wheel on the side of the rear wheel?
Great idea Paul, when do you start?
Of course a VW Bug makes a good EV conversion, and it already floats!
What a fantastic find. I love stuff like this. Looks to be put together quite well.
Well I have something sitting in a pasture that probably looked a lot like this under construction. Front is vw. Back is Kaw 600. Planned on going electric using the stuff I got for the classroom EV project. Broke my leg instead.
Keep trying to convince myself it’s worth going back to. This one is a beauty.
Ah, Eugene.
I just might be back there in a few months…
For us midwesterners, the only thing around here with that much wood on it says Chris Craft of Century on the rear flanks. This one looks like an inboard, alright, just not enough cylinders to make it sound right. I wonder if he ever pulls rollerbladers?
Very attractive, and well made but I can’t help thinking that I’d sure not like to get in a crash with that. If the acid doesn’t get you the splinters will!
Would look great hauling a cedar strip canoe on top.
Port is left, starboard is right.
Looks like she could use an alignment…
I think the term you are looking for when wondering what the sides of a boat are called is “Hull”.
Gunwale, actually. I just couldn’t pull it out of my rusting memory banks at the moment. Well, in this case, that’s not totally right either. Hull yes!
Thats beautifully made the laminated strips would be very strong, Food shopping can have its good points as a single parent I get to do that too its where I found that Wolseley 1300 and a Jag and Cortina I havent posted yet people with old cars have to eat too and the elderly get their govt payment same day as me and some of them here are still driving cars they bought new 40 years ago.
If you’re at all interested, you really must have a look at the builder’s website:
http://www.xp-humm-e.info/
Chock full of what, why, how, tons of photos, build logs, tech details, expenses. Fascinating “Design Decisions” page. Good video on the home page.
I’ve always wanted to build a car from scratch, ever since childhood. This guy did it.
Thanks. I’ve added the link to the text.
Wow, my friend who lives in Eugene was just talking about this yesterday. I said, I can’t believe Paul hasn’t seen it yet!
There’s very little I haven’t seen. But some only fleetingly when the camer wasn’t ready, or I wasn’t quick enough. I should wear a webcam on my head!
Dear God, someone kill it before it reproduces.
I can admire the craftsmanship there. Likewise, the shade-tree engineering, to come up with a workable end result.
But…it’s not FUNCTIONAL as a year-round ride. For obvious reasons.
Which means if he created this for environmental reasons…it should be noted that somewhere in the back of his garage, is a normal car ready to do all the things a varnished wooden electric roadster trike cannot. If he built it because he could…kudos. But let him wax eloquent about “saving the planet” and he’s gonna find himself with a truckoad of varnished toothpicks….
Before people go saying that the car is seasonal, or non-functional, they should remember that it may be so – for THEM. I’ve riden motorcycles year round, and once owned a Fiero is my sole transportation for several years. I currently run around in a 1994 Mazda Miata. My “needs” are obviously less than some others (yes, I do have a family with kids), but don’t go thinking that your WANTS are your real NEEDS.
I’ve seen families that took care of their NEEDS with an old VW bug and a tent in the middle of winter. Their WANTS were the same as anyone else, but their NEEDS were taken care of.
I like this car. It takes care of someones wants, and needs.