A Car with Two Wheels? Sure, Why Not?
If someone had told young me, with a twinkle in my eye and a carburetor in hand, that cars would one day be electric - I’d laugh. But if someone told me that cars one day would lose two of their wheels, I'd probably have thought they’d lost a few nuts and bolts. Yet, here I am, decades later, rolling my eyes at yet another attempt to redefine mobility. Ladies and gents, let me introduce you to the SHANE, an electric car with... you guessed it, just two wheels.
Conceptualized by none other than Hoverboard mastermind Shane Chen, this zippy number manages to fit five whole humans inside a pod-like cabin that’s wedged between two mammoth wheels. It’s like someone took a hoverboard, gave it some weird juice, and turned it into a vehicle, albeit one that can side-step into parking spaces. Handy, right?
Now, I've ridden on motorcycles (which, by the way, are my jam), but five seats on two wheels? That’s something you don’t see in your regular Sunday parade.
The SHANE's party trick? It can slide its entire cabin forward and backward to adjust its center of gravity, keeping the car steady and avoiding the embarrassment of tipping over during a traffic stop. If you're thinking that this sounds like an extreme way to avoid a four-wheel setup, you might just be on to something.
This beauty has got some unique tech under the hood – or rather, in the wheel? With two in-wheel motors and a backup mini motor (aww, cute!), it promises to shift its weight around like a pro ballerina. The additional spring-and-sensor system ensures the SHANE remains parallel to the ground – or as parallel as a two-wheeled car can be.
One of the funniest (or most genius, I can’t decide) features is its 2-speed wheel differential control, allowing it to pirouette in place like a tank. Think about it: driving sideways into a parallel parking spot? Sure, because parking wasn't already stressful enough!
But what truly tickled my humor bone is its potential to be classified differently from your conventional vehicles. It's as if the SHANE is saying, “Hey, I’m not like other cars. I’m a cool car.” Nice try, SHANE.
Though I'm all for embracing the electric future and redefining mobility, this two-wheeler is a far cry from the electric motorcycles that I adore. It's more a curious experiment in stretching the very definition of a car.
Now, SHANE is on the hunt for partners to help turn this electric dream into a showroom reality. I have to give it to Mr. Chen – the man’s got passion and a history of turning wild ideas into tangible products. And if you’re scoffing, remember: this is the mind behind the Hovertrax and other wacky innovations that made it off the drawing board.
In the end, whether or not SHANE becomes the future of mobility or just another quirky footnote, I tip my (imaginary) hat to the audacity of its vision. A two-wheeled car may sound like the punchline of a joke now, but who knows what the future holds? After all, I used to laugh at the idea of electric cars. Look at me now.
Yours truly,
Captain Electro
