Cars with only three wheels are goofy, but we’ll make an exception for the “alé” if it can really manage 92 miles per gallon. While you won’t be able to take all of your friends on a cruise around the country (without filling up!) in the alé’s dual tandem seating, whoever is inside is in for what sounds like an awesome ride. Zero to 60 in five seconds, tight turns that can build 1.7g of force, and a top speed of 140mph are impressive for something so eco-friendly.
The car uses a Honda engine and suspension, and Porsche steering mechanisms. It’ll only hold 10 gallons of regular gas, but it’ll put all 10 of those to good use. The “alé” boasts an air and gas mixing ratio of 20:1—your average car only mixes at 14.7:1. And it cuts down on CO2 emissions by 30%.
The team hopes to be the most fuel efficient production vehicle in the Automotive X-Prize competition, and it looks like they’ll have a pretty good shot at the title. Eco-friendliness aside, the “alé” is just an all-around impressive piece of work. Dig that canopy door. Head tech Brad Zimmerman got to take the “alé” out onto the track:
I drove it hard for 4 solid hours, throwing it into corners, accelerating and braking hard. The car’s performance is spectacular. After all that hard driving, we only went through $10 in gas.
