Cars - Corbin Sparrow

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	Cars - Corbin Sparrow

The Corbin Sparrow is a single-passenger, three-wheeled battery electric vehicle designed specifically for commuting and city driving. It was produced by Corbin Motors.

Powered by a 20kW (continuous) 156-volt DC or 3-phase AC motor, the Sparrow has a range of 20 to 40 miles and a top speed of 70 mph. Energy was supplied by thirteen 12-volt deep-cycle lead-acid batteries.

Two models were produced: the original "Jelly Bean" and later a hatchback nicknamed "Pizza Butt" because it was designed for Domino's Pizza. The vehicles are so eye-catching that Hollywood star Mike Myers featured a group of them in the movie Austin Powers in Goldmember.

Sparrow owners - 'Sparrownauts' - have created a Yahoo! to provide maintenance tips and other support.

History

In January 1996, Corbin Motors began work on developing an electric vehicle. The Sparrow passed final testing for Department of Transportation certification in April 1999. In September of that year, the Sparrow production line began manufacturing multiple vehicles.

Despite widespread enthusiasm about the Sparrow, the car has major design flaws. The Sparrow may flip over if turned too fast. A few have caught fire when a brake line shorted out against a battery post. The Kevlar drive belt tends to break. The charging system has a history of failing to shut off properly on completion, destroying the batteries.

Fewer than 350 Sparrows were produced. On March 31, 2003, Corbin Motors filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, effectively killing the immediate future of the Corbin Sparrow. A bankruptcy court passed the Corbin assets to Ron Huch's company Phoenix Environmental Motors, which tried to revive the Sparrow. On August 5, 2004, Ohio businessman Dana Myers bought the Sparrow interests from Ron Huch. The new company, , has redesigned the Sparrow, renamed it the MM NmG (No more Gas) and started selling it on Oct 1st 2005 for US$ 35,000. The base price has since been reduced to US$24,900. A second generation all-electric vehicle, possibly two-seat, is currently in development.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Corbin Sparrow ]

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Cars - Corbin Sparrow

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