But Clever vehicle could spell the end of in-car romance

A new three-wheeled car developed by BMW and the University of Bath promises to give over 100 miles to the gallon.

The Clever (Compact Low Emission Vehicle for Urban Transport) vehicle is a £1.5m collaborative project which has involved nine European partners from industry and research.

"Clever is a tremendous leap forward in the development of vehicles for the 21st century," said Dr Jos Darling, senior lecturer in mechanical engineering at the University of Bath.

"The fact that it has a stylish design, can carry a passenger, is not open to the weather and is as high as a conventional car will make it much more popular with motorists than previous novel city vehicles.

"It costs less to run, is quieter and is less polluting, and this will make it popular with environmentalists."

The three-year international project has produced a tilting three-wheeled vehicle that is fully enclosed and has seats for the driver and a passenger.

A strengthened frame protects the driver in a crash and the vehicle has a top speed of approximately 100 kmph and an acceleration of 0-60 kmph in seven seconds.

At just over 1m wide, it is 0.5m narrower than a micro-car, and three feet narrower than a medium sized conventional car. The passenger sits directly behind the driver.
A video of the car in action can be seen at the University of Bath website.