Welcome to December folks…the Holiday season is now fully upon us and what better way to celebrate our crowded suburban roadways full of frantic shoppers than to showcase the ultra-light and compact Carver One…
The Carver combined aspects of a motorcycle and a car, both in appearance and design. (1920x1200)
The Carver vehicle combines aspects of a motorcycle and a car, both in appearance and design. Like many micro cars, the Carver has three wheels and the controls of a normal car. The three wheel Carver One is said to have the comfort, controls and stability of a normal car while showing the dynamic cornering behavior of a motorcycle.[citation needed] The Carver can be driven by anyone with a normal car driver’s license in the European Union, though other countries outside of the EU may not allow this.[citation needed] In most countries the taxation follows the motorcycle guidelines.
The dimensions are 11ft long by 4.3 ft wide by 4.6 ft high, giving it a low slim profile, similar to a motorcycle. The Carver One weighs a mere 1,400 lbs, about half the weight of a medium size car or three to four times the weight of most motorcycles. The Carver One can tilt up to 45 degrees while turning, not based on how far the wheel are rotated, but rather on how much cornering force is applied to them.
The Carver has a 660 cc 4-cylinder 16-valve engine with a turbo intercooler giving a power output of 65bhp at 7,500 rpm and a maximum torque of 74lb·ftat 4,000 rpm. An option is available to upgrade the ECU to give 85bhp. The transmission is a 5-speed manual with reverse, and all wheels are equipped with ventilated disk brakes. The front wheel is slightly larger than the rear wheels (at 17″ versus 15″).
The Carver One, as standard, has a top speed of 115 mph. 0-60mph comes up in pedestrian 8 seconds, painfully slow when compared to most motorcycles and sporty passenger cars (a Toyota Camry puts up similar numbers).
The unique property of the Carver One is its automatic balancing “Dynamic Vehicle Control” system, which is said to allow full stability under almost all circumstances. The DVC technology has been developed by Carver Engineering and is currently also offered to third parties. Thanks to this DVC technology its cornering behavior is said to feel natural and pleasant. In 2007 it was announced that a California company called Venture Vehicles would be producing the VentureOne, a vehicle using Carver’s DVC system. The VentureOne was to be produced in three models: the e50 hybrid, the Q100 high performance hybrid, and the EV all electric.
A native of Tampa, FL Robert is the presiding editor and co-owner of both Down Shift Magazine and DS Holdings, LLC. A proud alumnus of the University of South Florida’s class of 2005 Robert is active in the Tampa Bay community and when not residing at his home in Tampa, FL enjoys traveling throughout the United States and abroad covering the motorsports and cultural phenomenon that shape our modern automotive enthusiast community.
