KTM Unveils E3W Concept, an Electric Plastic City Car

KTM has revealed a radical new concept vehicle, a three-wheeled electric city car with a body made of plastic.

Designed as a compact, efficient urban transportation vehicle, the KTM E3W was created by KTM, the Austrian Institute of Technology design studio Kisha (as in Gerald Kisha, the KTM designer behind such models as the 1190 RC8R and 125 Duke.) The E3W has two wheels at the front with a single drive wheel at the rear. The E3W seats two people, entering the car through Lamborghini-esque scissor doors for easy access in tight parking spaces.

The KTM E3W is powered by a 15 kW electric motor paired with a lithium-ion battery. Plastic bodywork keeps the E3W light, with a total claimed weight of 1102 pounds. Range is said to be about 100 km (62 miles) on a full charge.

Although KTM is best known for its off-road motorcycles, the E3W doesn’t come completely out of the left field. In 2008,the Austrian manufacturer also released the X-Bow, another Kisha-designed automobile. The lightweight performance-oriented X-Bow sits on the opposite end of the automotive spectrum from the E3W, claiming 237 hp, 230 ft-lb. and a 0-60 time under 4 seconds.

Though still a concept, KTM hopes to put the E3W into production as soon as 2013 with a price tag somewhere from $7,000 to $10,000.

[Source: CarAdvice via Autoblog]

By Dennis Chung