May 11th 2011 at 1:54PM Uno III transforming electric scooter – Click above to watch video after the jump BPG Motors has announced that its Uno III, the unique three-wheeled, transforming electric personal mobility vehicle, is now available for pre-order. Just $250 gets you on the list for this dicycle-turned-motorcycle that's slated to launch in early 2012. BPG Motors describes the transforming Uno III like this: "High-speed" being, of course, relative. Here's a brief overview of the Uno III: Price: Estimated to be between $5,000-7,000 Deposit: Refundable deposit is $250. At a later date, BPG Motors will require a $1,000 non-refundable deposit. Charge time: Three to four hours Range: Projected to be 30-35 miles Top speed: 15 miles per hour in Uno (scooter) mode and 30 mph in motorcycle mode License: Designed to be classified as a scooter, so check with your state for licensing requirements Inspired by the overcrowded streets of China, Benjamin Gulak, head of BPG Motors, designed the Uno III as a compact transportation device that can carve through congested traffic, fit in an elevator and morph from its upright Segway-ish mode to its motorcycle-like horizontal position on the fly.

Click here to catch video of the scooter's transformation and then go here to pre-order the Uno III. These are the least reliable cars in America Best-selling automobiles of 2016 New Car Buying Guides Most and least efficient car companies Fastest-depreciating cars in the United States Find and compare 2017 Models The 2017 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel has better highway mileage than Prius Elon Musk reiterates the need for brain-computer interfaces in the age of AI Carmakers ask Trump to revisit fuel efficiency rules Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)Inventor Ben Gulak with two Uno prototypesBombardier's concept for a one-wheeled self-balancing motorcycle-like vehicle called the EMBRIO has been a long time Gizmag favorite. It was envisioned as the type of personal transportation that people might be using 20 years from now. Well, if 21 year-old inventor Ben Gulak has his way, consumers will be able to buy a similar vehicle a lot sooner.

His battery electric Uno may look like a regular motorbike at higher speeds, but when it slows down, the wheels realign themselves into a side-by-side configuration – seen in profile, it looks like a unicycle.norton motorcycles for sale in coloradoGulak, a Canadian who is currently studying Mechanical Engineering at Harvard, is also the brains behind the stand-up tracked off-road vehicle, the DTV Shredder. best used beginner cruiser motorcycleUnlike the Shredder, however, the Uno was inspired by a desire to save the environment.barbour classic motorcycle jacketIn 2005, Gulak accompanied his father on a business trip to China. motorcycle tires honda vtx 1800

There, he saw the huge number of smoky, combustion-engined two-stroke scooters and motorcycles that were on the road. He wanted to create an electric alternative to those vehicles, but knew that it would have to be something pretty special in order to make a name for itself. motorcycles for sale near meridian msHe proceeded to build his first prototype out of angle iron, wheelchair motors, batteries and gyroscopes, and is now working on commercializing the vehicle through his Massachusetts-based company, BPG Motors.“does oklahoma have motorcycle helmet lawBecause we’re such a visual society, I wanted something that was really going to stand out and show people that being green can be cool,” he told us. harley davidson for sale in new brunswick canada

“When I was in China [...] one of the things that seemed to be a problem was the congestion, so I thought if we could make a really small vehicle that could weave through traffic – it had to be the same power and abilities as the larger ones – that would make a lot of sense.”“I wanted something that you could bring indoors, and charge in your apartment. Right now with electric scooters, one of the problems is that there’s nowhere to charge them, and they get vandalized on the road.”Not unlike a Segway, the Uno uses gyroscopes to maintain balance at lower speeds – a rear kickstand supports the vehicle when it’s parked. At higher speeds, as it’s moving, the wheels realign themselves into a more traditional, one-behind-the-other motorcycle configuration. This is to provide stability, and to make the handling less twitchy. When we first featured the Uno a couple of years ago, it had two wheels. The version that Gulak is now working on, however, has three. When it hits 15mph (24km/h), the middle wheel moves to the front, while the outer two move to the back and squeeze together.

So, how does it feel to have your wheels rearrange themselves on the fly? “It happens in about one second, it’s a very quick transformation” said Gulak. “We’re still in the debugging stages right now, so I’m not going to say it’s not scary – it’s pretty terrifying, but it’s going to be good... It’s just a matter of time until we get it perfected.”Unlike the Segway, which was kept under wraps until it was revealed to a rather baffled public, Gulak is constantly seeking public feedback on the Uno, to make sure that it’s something people will want to buy. That feedback has found its way into the vehicle’s current design.“If you try to sell people on the idea of a self-balancing electric unicycle, [then] that just screams ‘far out there,’ but I think by keeping visual references to things that are familiar, people see it more as an evolution or the next step, as opposed to something that’s just completely out of the blue,” he explained.Gulak hopes to produce an initial run of 30 bikes, within the next 8 to 12 months.