Electric trikes are a form of three wheeled vehicle that utilizes an electric engine for propulsion. A trike is a shortened form of the word tricycle and typically refers to a three wheel cycle. There are three main variations of trike design in the world. These three types are Upright, Recumbent Delta, and the Recumbent Tadpole.
An upright trike is the design that some adult trikes and most child sized trikes are designed around. Recumbent delta trikes are tricycles that allow the rider to sit much more naturally as though they are riding in a leaned-back chair. The delta version has a single wheel in the front and two in the back. The recumbent tadpole trikes are similar in design to the recumbent delta. The only main difference is that there are two wheels in the front and a single wheel in the back.
The motorization of these trikes is quite popular with many varied designs based on each primary style. The most common type of electric trike is recumbent in design. The recumbent tadpole is considered the best in terms of balance, steerage, and safety. However, the recumbent delta style is still very popular.
There are two basic types of battery style for electric trikes. These types are quick swap and non-quick swap. A quick swap trike allows for batteries to be swapped out rapidly so that they can continually use a fresh battery as the old one runs down. In this vein a weaker electric trike that can go upward of ten miles on a single charge without peddling would be able to double its distance simply by carrying a second charged battery. A non-quick swap battery style means that it takes a little time and effort to swap batteries. The ability to change batteries will still exist but it is not nearly as swift in procedure as the quick swap variety.
The types of electric trike vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Some of the lower end electric trikes (such as the Gomier Electric Tike) will cost around a thousand dollars American and have a general traveling capacity of eight to ten miles per charge. However, there are higher end Upright types that can be found for a similar price that can perform twice this capacity. There are also higher end versions that are double the capacity and cost nearly twice as much such as the eZee Carro electric tricycle.
The prices and styles vary wildly, but the end result is a vehicle that does not need to use fossil fuels and is fun to ride. Further, if an owner of such a vehicle does not wish to expend their battery they can simply pedal on their own. This makes it the perfect vehicle if you are not in a rush, as battery life can be extended quite a bit and you never have to worry about the engine dying on you as long as you have the will to pedal.
