Automotive News
Canadian George Parker, a self-described inventor, has toned down a few of his claims since first issuing a press release in March 2006 on a vehicle he called the CV-3000.The original plan was to build a limited run of the tandem-seated three-wheelers and sell them for $47,500 to $97,500, with the first deliveries slated to begin in the summer of 2006.
According to that early press release, the CV-3000 would be powered by a turbocharged 1.5-liter engine fitted with the company's "gasoline fuel vapor fuel management system." The engine would be mated to a continuously variable transmission, offer 180 horsepower and would zip from zero to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds, with projected fuel economy of 100-150 mpg.
Too good to be true? Apparently.
Rechristened the Alé (pronounced uh-LAY) for its public debut at last fall's SEMA show, the fiberglass-bodied trike was fitted with a Honda engine, and the original heady projections were scaled back to zero to 60 mph in 5.0 seconds and 92 mpg with a more conventional five-speed manual gearbox. Top speed is electronically limited to 140 mph.
The hype continues, however, from Parker's Fuel Vapor Technologies, which in its latest release says it is looking for investors to help put the vehicle into production.
The configuration, although unusual, looks deceptively simple. The two front wheels drive and steer the vehicle. The secret, according to the company, is the fuel management system, a "patent-pending process [that] allows the engine to run on 'fuel vapors' rather than liquid fuel."
Fuel Vapor Technologies says it still intends to enter the Alé in the Automotive X Prize competition for world's most efficient production vehicle. There's only one catch: The Alé is still not in production, which Parker now hopes to commence in 2008.
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