BMW recently revealed a couple of additions to its special 'Concept Vehicles exhibition' at the BMW Museum in Munich.
Called the Simple (Sustainable and Innovative Mobility Product for Low Energy consumption) and the Clever (Compact Low Emissions Vehicle for Urban transport), these two unique three wheelers concepts from the recent past are designed to showcase various innovations in personal mobility through novel vehicle and drive concepts.
Both the Simple and the Clever offer a passenger cell like a car that provides protection from wind and weather as well as shielding the driver from exterior noise and offering occupants a high degree of safety in the event of an accident. But the narrow profile and tandem seating position, as well as the Simple's and Clever's ability to lean into corners resembles that of a bike. With a kerb weight of only 450kg, a 49PS petrol motor and an excellent drag coefficient of 0.18 allows the Simple to achieve a zero to 100 time of under 10 seconds.
Combined with a 6kWh electric motor, this fancy three-wheeler can dish out a fuel economy of about 50kmpl. The Clever offers a smaller footprint than the Simple, with its overall length at 3 meters, a full meter shorter and also 50kg lighter. The Clever aims at extremely low emissions in the region of 60gm of CO2 for every 100km, and for this, comes with a 230cc single cylinder engine that runs on CNG. No current production plans for either exist, but a future cityscape with leaning three-wheelers running amok on the streets is just up our alley.
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