The Iris E-Trike is not an electric tricycle like the others. Its futuristic capsule-shaped design is full of atypical features, such as a rear view camera and an air filtration system.
The British company Grant Sinclair has designed an electric tricycle that has the merit of attracting attention and attention. Its name: the Iris E-Trike, which has undergone several revisions during its life cycle, tells us the specialized site eBike News. This machine necessarily challenges by its design and its shape.
Its design propels us straight into the future with its rounded curves and sharp edges. There is a real wow effect. A kind of unusual capsule emerges, whose length of 260 cm does not perhaps make it the most practical for getting around town. Its weight of 60 kg can also make you cringe.
A generous couple, but perhaps insufficient
To achieve this, the Grant Sinclair teams necessarily imagined a full set of specifications. On the top, thus sits a plexiglass cover from aviation, transparent and able to withstand bad weather thanks to its expanded polypropylene foam plate (EPP).
At the rear, a small space with a capacity of 50 liters can serve as a trunk, which adds a nice touch of practicality to this singular vehicle. On the official website, the manufacturer offers several versions of the Iris E-Trike, one of which complies with European standards in terms of power: 250 W.
With this engine, the claimed torque reaches 80 Nm. On paper, it is very interesting. For a machine whose empty weight is 60 kg, one wonders if this value could not have exceeded 100 Nm. Everything is associated with a central engine, a torque sensor and a nine-speed transmission.
The 960 Wh battery has enormous energy capacity. Except that inevitably, the weight of the tricycle plays against it and tends to make it consume a lot. The advertised maximum autonomy is therefore 46 km, which is decent without being phenomenal. The presence of Spyre mechanical disc brakes is also disappointing. We would have preferred hydraulic systems.
The Iris E-Trike, however, stands out with its integrated reversing camera, which broadcasts its feed directly to your smartphone. And this in order to bring you visibility worthy of the name on the road traffic located just behind you. An air filtration system is also required, to better filter dust or pollen.
Grant Sinclair sells this electric tricycle for around 5700 euros on its official website, in its 250 W version which is, as a reminder, the only legal one in Europe to be recognized as a VAE. Speaking of which, is the Iris E-Trike considered an electric bike? What can be said is that it does not belong to the category of mopeds or speed bikes when equipped with a 250 W motor.
A VAE that meets the standards
As a reminder, and according to the Council and European Parliament, this category excludespedal-assisted cycles, fitted with an auxiliary electric motor with a maximum continuous rated power of 0.25 kilowatts, the supply of which is gradually reduced and finally interrupted when the vehicle reaches a speed of 25 km/h or earlier , if the cyclist stops pedaling»
However, a tricycle is considered a cycle. An electric tricycle equipped with a 250 W motor is therefore an electric bicycle, which can simply be called an electric tricycle. Starting from this premise, the Iris E-Trike is therefore legally an e-bike.
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