Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Lightweight, USA



Finally, success! Chris Anthony has been trying to launch a three-wheeled electric vehicle for years now - first, with the ill-fated Aptera Motors, which he co-founded, and now with his own Epic EV. Last Saturday, all that effort came together in a triumphant event that saw the Torq Roadster introduced to David Vespremi, former Tesla Director of Communications and first official customer.

For Vespremi, getting the Torq is also the fulfillment of a dream. While he enjoys driving high-performance vehicles (he has a Toyota MR2 with a few hundred horses), the low reliability factor and outrageous noise that's an integral part of the gasoline-powered experience has long lost its luster. Of course, the Roadster built by his former employer would likely quench his thirst for speed, but its price tag was almost double that of his new topless track toy and is now out of production.

The Torq is just a tick less quick than the Tesla, but promises that visceral open-driving feel of an Ariel Atom or KTM X-Bow that is unavailable to drivers in the US. Yes, there is that whole 3-wheel thing, but a test drive convinced our pioneering protagonist that the configuration "didn't kill the handling." It also allows for street-legal homologation.

We're looking forward to hearing more about this latest electric sports car from a customer's perspective, which David says he'll provide in a few weeks (with video, please). In the mean time, he's written a blog post that tells the back story about his purchase.

Feel free to peruse the gallery of pics from the official launch (more here) and scroll on down for the official press release.Continue reading Epic EV delivers first Torq Roadster to former Tesla exec

Epic EV delivers first Torq Roadster to former Tesla exec originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 12 Apr 2013 07:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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