XR3, the three-wheeled hybrid kit ...

The XR3 from Robert Q. Riley Company is a hybrid car with three wheels to the ultra rudimentary technology which also has the distinction of being sold only in kit. 

Everyone agrees on the need for change in urban vehicles to curb congestion and pollution of cities. And to develop cleaner vehicles and less bulky, all avenues seem to be exploited even in a car kit. But rest assured, this is not another hoax from Ikea. 

This idea comes from Robert Q. Riley Company, an American engineering company which markets the XR3, a three-wheeled hybrid delivered in pieces.

His two-seater was designed by reducing drastically the pounds since it weighs 660 kg. It embeds a small diesel engine of 23 horses supplemented by an electric motor powered by a battery Lithium-ion rechargeable AC. The autonomy in electric mode all is announced at 65 km and consumption mode hybrid is announced is 1.2 liters per 100 km. Cute performances, Robert Q. Riley said that the Company offers XR3 accelerations comparable to an average car (there have been more accurate) and a maximum speed of around 130 km / h.

But back to the peculiarity of this vehicle: the delivery kit. The assembly work has something to fear, especially in the case of a hybrid car deemed more complex than another. Robert Q. Riley Company states that it first addresses people experienced. The hybrid system is then reduced to its simplest expression. No complex management of the two sources of energy like a Toyota Prius, the front wheels are driven by the engine while the rear is connected to the electric motor and the method of propulsion is up to the driver. Commands to enable board then cut manually, as needed, each engine. Do not hold it by the recipe of the hybrid low-cost? 

Although the "constructor" is reassuring, stating that the front of the vehicle has shock-absorbing materials, one can wonder about safety on board. Especially when traveling with a pack of lithium-ion batteries, flammable by nature. While some major automotive manufacturers such batteries mounted on their cars, like the Mercedes S400, performing batteries of tests on their reaction to a shock, we imagine that a small manufacturer like Robert Q. Riley Company can not do the same.

Later charge, the bill is really reasonable. The XR3 (or rather his plays) are traded against $ 25,000 or about 17,000 euros and a rise is already under consideration.