Next goal: completion of the driver test vehicle
With the order for the production of the first pre-series chassis components, the inno- vative three-wheeled electric vehicle TWIKE 5 is taking another important step towards readiness for series production. The bold investment comes at the end of intensive de- velopment work.
Rosenthal, March 7 2023 – Almost four years to the day after the first presentation of the prototype at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2019 and two years after the start of series development, the makers of the TWIKE 5 are entering the next project phase. The order for wheel carriers, bearings, brake parts, suspension struts and wheels lays the foundations for completing the pre-series for the 500 units of the TWIKE 5.
The story of the TWIKE 5 already began with the realisation of the TWIKE 4. The vehicle, which was conceived as a pure prototype and won the Automotive-X-Prize, laid the foun- dation for the development of the TWIKE 5, which has since been continuously refined, improved and adapted to new requirements.
„After thorough, careful and repeated testing and validation, the chassis development chassis development has now reached the point where we can justify the necessary in- vestment,“ explains Martin Möscheid, Managing Director of TWIKE GmbH from Rosenthal in Hesse. „We wanted to have all influences secured in detail and not risk an unnecessary development loop out of recklessness or excessive impatience.“
For the development, TWIKE engaged the renowned expert for automotive engineering Dr. Axel Pauly. The former technical director of VW‘s development company IAV as well as the person responsible for function integration and safety control systems at BMW provided significant support in improving safety and driving dynamics. Here, Pauly focused on optimi- sing the three-wheeler with the help of a newly developed camber-active rear axle. The task included not only the load-bearing parts, but all elements transmitting the driving forces, from the drive shafts, bearings and rubber elements to the rims and tyres.
The chassis parts now commissioned were partly developed in-house and partly borrowed from large-scale production. They give the generously powered three-wheeler with its low centre of gravity the agility and driving stability of a four-wheeled sports car. TWIKE also relies on the support of experienced suppliers and service providers such as A-CONCEPTS, Borbet, Continental and KW automotive.
„Together with our partners, we are approaching the finish line with the TWIKE 5,“ Möscheid explains. „We are now hoping for normalised delivery times so that we can go into driver testing as early as possible and subsequently issue a series release.“