Twike

The TWIKE (proper spelling " TWIKE " ) is a three-wheeled light electric scooter for two people. It is after CityEL one of the best-selling electric vehicles in Europe.

The TWIKE went from a study of students, among other things, the ETH Zurich forth. It was originally conceived as a pure fully faired bike. 1986 won during the World Expo in Vancouver at the Innovative Vehicle Design Competition ( IVDC ) a price for ergonomics and at the Human Powered Vehicle World Championships the first prize in the category of everyday vehicles.

Manufacturer and dissemination

The original producer of TWIKE that TWIKE AG, headquartered in Gelterkinden in Switzerland, and the firm merged S- Lem 1999 SwissLEM based in high- Dorf ( Switzerland ). SwissLEM went in the summer of 2002 in bankruptcy. The Twike.you was bought by the German FINE Mobile GmbH, which now continued to be produced in the TWIKE Rosenthal. The SwissLEM - development called Twike.Me did not go into production.

Since 1996, the TWIKE is allowed on the road. Since then, about 1,000 cars were sold, with each about 450 of which were delivered to Switzerland and Germany (February 2013). The remaining vehicles spread to other countries such as the Netherlands, Korea, China, Denmark, Austria, Great Britain, Australia, Belgium, Norway, Italy, Spain, France, Morocco and the United States.

Drive

For the propulsion a three-phase electric engine with a rated power of 3 kW and an optional pedal drive for driver and passenger. Thus, the TWIKE reaches a speed of 85 km / h in the plane. The TWIKE is constituted by a tubular aluminum framework, which is covered with a plastic sheath ( Luran S). The TWIKE is directed via a joystick located between the two drivers, is at the same time accelerated and braked with the. A regenerative braking fed back during braking power in the batteries. The entry is enabled by opening the hood, supported by a gas spring. The hood carries the laminated glass pane, which for car registration is necessary in Germany, or a lighter Plexiglas and removable convertible or Targa top.

Energy supply

The energy is stored since the 2008 model year in Li -ion batteries with a nominal voltage of 353 volts. Currently (2013 ) the manufacturer offers batteries with 5.6 Ah ( two to five of which can be selected ) and 7.6 Ah to. The smallest battery version (2 x 5.6 Ah or about 4 kWh ) offers a range of 50 to 100 km, the largest battery version (7 × 7.6 Ah or about 19 kWh ) offers a range of > 500 km. Seven modules weigh 133 kg.

Prior to NiCd batteries were used with a nominal voltage of 336 volts and a capacity 6-10 Ah per battery set, in which each 280 round cells were summarized. These are still primarily offered as a substitute.

As an alternative Challenge 05 were tested on the Black Sea NiMH batteries with doubled compared to the nickel -cadmium battery capacity (18 Ah) at the TWIKE. With these cell stages were reached up to 130 km without charge. The German manufacturer of TWIKE, FINE Mobile, this is no longer supplying due to technical problems with the cells since the middle of 2007, however.

Consumption and range

The range is between 40 km to 500 km with a consumption of around 4-8 kWh per 100 km. This corresponds to about 12.6 megajoules. The average car with a fuel consumption 5-10 liters per 100 km ( about 200-400 MJ of energy ) thus consumes more than sixteen times as much energy. The low energy consumption is primarily the high efficiency of the electric drive, but also the aerodynamically favorable shape and lightweight design (aluminum, plastic ) to thank.

Costs

The purchase price is high because it is a small batch product. He reached already in the simplest basic 25,000 euros and can rise to over 30,000 euros. This is offset, however, apart from the battery wear level is offset by low maintenance costs and high resale value. Moreover, the energy costs are very low. For an annual output of 10,000 km a TWIKE needs about 600 kWh of electricity, which would result in electricity costs of € 150 per year for the example at 0.25 € / kWh.

The operating costs are FINE Mobile with about 8 cents / km (energy for 10.000 km, tire wear, maintenance, insurance, taxes). For battery wear is expected with additional 8 to 15 cents per kilometer ( depending on driving style ).