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Keep Your Eye on the Electric Sparrow 164

Posted by michael from the betamax dept.
WC as Kato writes "Corbin Motors, the company that made the cute electric Sparrow car driven by Austin Powers in Goldmember, has gone into bankruptcy. SJ Mercury News has details of the dead bird..er Sparrow. Another electric car bites the dust!"
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Keep Your Eye on the Electric Sparrow More

Keep Your Eye on the Electric Sparrow

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  • vroom (Score:3, Funny)

    by sweeney37 ( 325921 ) * <mikesweeney&gmail,com> on Friday May 23, 2003 @05:29PM (#6027807) Homepage Journal
    maybe my sparrow would of gotten more use if it had a plug-in to recharge my electric jacket [slashdot.org].

    Mike

  • it must be asked (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 23, 2003 @05:30PM (#6027812)
    was it an african or european spa- oh, wait. nevermind.

    • Re:it must be asked (Score:5, Funny)

      by Tumbleweed ( 3706 ) on Friday May 23, 2003 @05:45PM (#6027913)
      Maybe if they had been able to drive TWO of these in tandem, and been able to carry a coconut between them, they might have succeeded.

      I guess you'd have to call those a Beowulf Cluster, though. :)

      ("One...Two...Two bad jokes, hahahahaha!" - The Count)

      Nobody did the "I'm not dead, yet" joke, though - this thing really does look dead.

      Strangely, I first saw one of these in person just a few days ago. A bright green thing in downtown Seattle; it turned lots of heads.
    • I saw one of them at the Stanford Electric Car Show a couple of years ago, and they were for sale a couple of blocks from my office in San Francisco. Unless they really improved it, it was really a turkey. First of all, it was $12000, which is more than enough to buy a real car, or a good used car and an overpriced Segway :-) Second, it didn't have enough trunk-like space for a bag of groceries or an overstuffed laptop briefcase. That means it's not really useful for driving to work or the shopping, so

  • Groovy (Score:2, Informative)

    by adamontherun ( 660770 )
    What a Groovy Bird baby... Yeah baby... yea
  • ...It's how you use it!!

    Or in this case, how you use a potential market and profit margins...

  • Here's a picture (Score:1, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Sorry, it's tiny [google.com], the original site seems to be gone now.

  • Maybe they wouldn't fail (Score:5, Insightful)

    by mrwonton ( 456172 ) on Friday May 23, 2003 @05:31PM (#6027818) Homepage
    if they tried designing electric cars without abandoning all automobile design conventions.

    • Re:Maybe they wouldn't fail (Score:4, Informative)

      by MikeFM ( 12491 ) on Friday May 23, 2003 @06:10PM (#6028043) Homepage Journal
      You've got a point but a lot of the changes are done for effeciency reasons. I think they need to learn moderation though. Start off with something similar to the Honda Insight and gradually whittle down until you find the point people stop buying the cars at.

      My favorite EV's are old muscle cars that have been overhauled into EV's. A 60's Mustang as an EV is really pretty hot. I really want an old GTO converterable made into an EV.. someday. *Dreams*
      • Talk about mixed emotions here...

        Something in me would love to see all electric cars look exactly like old Mustangs and GTO's, but the muscle car fan in me is screaming "blasphemy" at someone who would do that conversion.
        • You ever see an EV designed for racing? They can make gas powered cars look sick. With an electric car there is rally nothing to slow a car down other than the limits of the driver and the life of the batteries. Consider it an upgrade. :)

    • Re:Maybe they wouldn't fail (Score:4, Interesting)

      by KillboyPHD ( 82897 ) on Friday May 23, 2003 @06:22PM (#6028104) Homepage
      ...if they tried designing electric cars without abandoning all automobile design conventions.

      Funny you should mention that. I'm planning on buying a kit [electroauto.com] from these guys [electroauto.com] that will convert a Porsche 914 [dgi.net] into an electric powered one [dgi.net].

      The specs on this 120-volt kit are pretty impressive: A top speed of 85 mph and a ideal range of up to 100 miles. The only thing it lacks is regenerative braking, but hopefully I can come up with something.

      Amazingly, the design conventions for the Porsche 914 make it the ideal electric conversion: Low weight, low drag coefficient, ample battery space, etc.
    • The reason for the strange design was to make it licensable as a motorcycle.

      According to the law (at least in CA) three wheels = motorcycle and four wheels = car. Motorcycles are given much, much more latitude in designing for safety regulations.

      Bumpers, crash resistant doors, even safety belts are technically optional on a "motorcycle" but would require expensive and heavy designs if it were a "car." They got a chance to save cost by going with three wheels, but most importantly they got to save weight
      • So they designed it the way they did to cut corners on safety?

        Why doesn't this sound so good?
      • Corbin motors also made the "Merlin Roadster" which was a gas-powered convertable with the same three-wheeled design. The problem I have with one passanger cars such as the Merlin and the Sparrow was that they were one passanger. If you want to go out with your wife, or girlfriend you need to have another vehicle. Both the Sparrow and the Merlin were comperable in price to a full-fledged car (I think the Sparrow was $14k and the Merlin was $24k) and you could not do any financing. Corbin's website also
      • That and the fact that Corbin is a motorcycle accessory company (seats mainly).
    • As opposed to a purely theoretical interest, I own a Sparrow. I've got a bit over 13K miles on it, mostly on my 50mi commute (25x2).

      The most fundamental errors were business not technological (failing to hire engineers in general, firing the ones they had, not paying suppliers, creating a massive dealer network before there was a solid design, etc.). The next batch of errors were in execution (no two assembled out of the same parts and bulit exactly alike, no quality control, no torque specs, changed suppl
  • There was one always parked in Old Town Pasadena. I loved seeing that thing sitting there. Always wanted to have one as well.

    Oh well, time for another dream.

    Ted

  • Yeah baby... (Score:1, Offtopic)

    by gpinzone ( 531794 )
    Don't have a throm-bo...

  • Electric cars in general (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Soulfarmer ( 607565 ) on Friday May 23, 2003 @05:38PM (#6027864) Homepage Journal
    are a waste of my energy.

    No, seriously, until the method of storing the "fuel" more efficiently and so on, I don't think that electric cars will be any good. Maybe in a huge disclosed areas where you can deposit load-post frequently enough :D

    But then again, nobody calls me an engineer, and for a reason.
    • Let me explain.
      The limited range of electric cars is a myth. They already have the power and range of a gasoline-powered cars. Of course, if you mean frequently enough = same as gasstations, I agree. :)
      J.

      • Re:Electric cars in general (Score:4, Interesting)

        by MikeFM ( 12491 ) on Friday May 23, 2003 @06:17PM (#6028078) Homepage Journal
        Seriously, how much could it cost a gas station to add a single battery exchange point for EV's? I can't see it costing more than exchange points for kerosene tanks or being any more of a hassle. Have some sort of device for removing the old pack and putting a fresh pack in and some sort of recharge station for the old packs. Maybe a few thousand dollars to add at most. If there was a standard for such an exchange station, that was actually used, then EV's would start falling in line to be compatible. Somebody needs to create such a thing and push it through a well placed person in one of the big gasmart chains. I'd say Shell would be a good target because they are moving towards being a renewable resource company already. If only I had some funding.. *sighs*
        • Sounds like a plan. Of course, there could the usual problem: which was first the egg or the chicken. When there are no exchange stations like you described, there might not be enough EV's to build one. And with not enough EV's there is no reason to build and exchange station. And when there are no exchange... and so on
          • True, but as the stations tend to have a bit more centralized behavior I think it'd be easier to set a standard from them. Also to a gasmart an extra $5k investment isn't really much to risk.

            My own feeling is that a non-profit group should make a deal with the government to put such EV refueling stations at all state rest stops. That'd be enough to give things a push I think. I'm not sure if there are enough interested people to sponsor a not-for-profit approach such as that everywhere but I bet we could m
        • The problem with having lots of battery exchanges would be having lots of batteries. Which have lots of heavy metals, and are probably worse for the environment than gassoline. What is needed is a fuel cell vehicle with a medium that can be changed or refilled, possibly in liquid form.
          • That would be GREAT. We could call it gasoline! :)
          • No, batteries used in EV's are mostly recycled. They are only bad for the enviroment if thrown in a landfill. Luckily since they cost so much most EV users are smart enough not to do such a thing.

            I'd love to see better batteries but I don't think fuel cells are a good replacement. Compressed air vehicles and such do strike me as a good idea if they can get good enough.
            • Unfortunately, there is a whole host of issues to be overcome with compressed air cars. I think that there is currently one "manufacturer" that is trying to push them. On closer inspection, that company looks like a patent-holding company looking to liscense their technology to others rather than take any risks themselves. The main problem with compressed air vehicles is that they will loose power as the compressed air charge runs out. I for one want a vehicle that will always behave the same.
        • Ahh, the big glaring problem with this is that most modern electric cars are essentially built around the batteries. It's not like your t.v. remote, you don't just pop the battery out and throw in another.

          So now you're talking about not only convincing big oil to support your exchange stations, you're also going to need everyone who makes an electric car to totally redesign their car to have not just removable batteries but your special type of removable batteries. Also, good luck making your battery p
          • You'd have to redesign a lot of current EV's but for new EV's it'd be no big deal. May as well complain that having a standard way of putting gas in cars is a pain. Sure batteries are heavy but it's no big deal to mount them on a rack that can easier be loaded in/out with a mechanical arm. I've seen several EV's that already do this.

            You seem to be assuming that the user would own the batteries. It'd be easier to have the user lease the batteries from the refueling company and just swap packs as needed. Sur

        • Why MOD THIS UP? (Score:2, Informative)

          by Genjurosan ( 601032 )
          You are creating more mis-information by modding the parent post up. Batteries contain materials that pollute just as much as fossil fuels, and the FACT that all these batteries still require a source to be charged. It's a pipe dream to think that the sources are all going to be wind, hydro, or solar powered. It's going to be Nukes, coal, gas, and oil.

          I quote:

          Fuel Source
          Ethanol, or grain alcohol, is produced by fermenting biomass, commonly corn (though other, lower-value feedstocks have been tested in

          • Re:Why MOD THIS UP? (Score:3, Informative)

            by Soulslayer ( 21435 )
            Lead acid batteries (the most common battery used in EVs today) are the most recycled product on the planet. The only thing sometimes discarded without recycling are the plastic shells.

            As to pollution from the source of your electricity? As others have noted pollution is lessened by the greater efficiency of these centralized power sources. In addition at a later point in time you can swap out the central power plant (far more easily than forcing millions of people to change their cars' individual power

          • Re:Why MOD THIS UP? (Score:3, Interesting)

            by MikeFM ( 12491 )
            Don't misunderstand me. I want better batteries but you can recycle a battery. You can't do much to recycle gasoline. It isn't a pipe dream if you make it happen.

            Also it can be very enviromentally friendly to charge a battery - as well as economical. Even if your local power doesn't come from a renewable resource you, or a charging facility, can set up your own renewable source. It does take some special effort to charge this kind of batteries (over say powering a light bulb) but it can be done if you know
      • The limited range of electric cars is a myth. They already have the power and range of a gasoline-powered cars.
        Err... which electric car would that be? I know that Ford's Think model runs about 40 miles on a battery. And breaks every two weeks, which may have something to do with the fact that they stopped making them.

  • OK, its conspiracy time! (Score:3, Funny)

    by Brian_Ellenberger ( 308720 ) on Friday May 23, 2003 @05:38PM (#6027868)
    So who *REALLY* killed the Sparrow?

    Was it
    A) An evil conspiracy of evil Oil Companies seeking to cover the planet in waste and polution in a plot to take over the world.

    B) An evil conspiracy of evil Car Companies seeking to cover the planet in waste and polution in a plot to take over the world.

    C) An evil conspiracy of evil Oil Companies working with evil Car Companies seeking to cover the planet in waste and polution in a plot to take over the world.

    D) The oil lovin' election stealin' George W Bush and evil Oil Company exCEO Dick Chaney

    E) SUVs

    F) George W Bush and Dick Chaney driving an SUV filled with evil Oil Company CEOs and evil Car Company CEOs.

    Brian Ellenberger

    • Re:OK, its conspiracy time! (Score:5, Informative)

      by Latent IT ( 121513 ) on Friday May 23, 2003 @05:44PM (#6027900)
      Sadly, the answer is:

      G) Massive technical difficulties, including its tendancy to drive away while plugged in if it's raining. Oh, and lawsuits.

      I mean, reading the article, it sounds like the car just *didn't* work, and tipped over more than a few times. Normally I'd be sad a company like this folded, but it doesn't sound like they were doing a very good job.
      • > G) Massive technical difficulties, including its tendancy to drive away while plugged in if it's raining. Oh, and lawsuits.

        H) Costing $15,000 due to economies of scale.

        The Sparrow looks cool, but with a 60 mile range and a 4-year battery lifespan, we're talking golf cart cool, not car cool, and we're talking $2000 cool, not $15,000 cool.

      • The fact that the conpany's only experience in road going vehicles prior to the Sparrow was making motorcycle seats might have had something to do with it.

        Most people in the EV community were impressed with Corbin's success, for awhile the company had a two year backlog of orders. However Corbin built the Sparrow without consulting any "experts" in EV technology, and made a number of beginner mistakes.. Only one (expensive) battery type could be installed, and there wasn't enough battery capacity. They h

    • G) a nice-looking product full of internal design flaws.
    • "a plot to take over the world"
      You mean a plot to keep the world?
      • Whoa, that's a good one! Makes you wonder why they don't just call off all the terrorists and rogue states and be done with it. Oh, that's right, they only *appear* to be trying to blow us up. They're *actually* working *for* us. Well, not for us. For Cheney and Bush.

        And the International Jewish Conspiracy figures into it somehow, too. Those subhuman Zionist scum are really the ones running things. Even Bush and Cheney are just their puppets. Don't forget the Illuminati and the Black Helicopters.

        So,

    • G) Cowboy Neal can't fit in a Sparrow

    • H) Cock Robin's brother, out for revenge.
    • Reading some of the history between Corbin Motors and MCM (Google cache here [216.239.57.100]), Corbin seems to have bet the farm on the Merlin roadster. Specifically, they decided to build their own engine (for what possible reason, I dunno.) Here's a link to the MCM engine being developed for the Merlin. [allenengine.com] It's a cute engine, but it's development seems to have caused a rift between Corbin and MCM, resulting in litigation that eventually led to Corbin's demise. They should have just purchased an engine from Honda or Suzu
    • A beowulf cluster of natalie portmans pouring hot grits all over themselves saying "all your base are belong to us" while trying to stuff libraries of congress into volkswagen beetles which run Linux.

      Boom!

  • Surprise, surprise, it was an ugly looking thing, I used to see them in a shop window in San Francisco.
    So it's followed the C5 [nvg.ntnu.no], remember Sinclair's triumph?
  • I spent many hours reviewing the corbin motor website. They had some awesome vehicles besides the sparrow, and plans for even better ones in the near future. I had always planned on getting one, especially now that I'm moving to the boonies where fuel costs will be an even bigger concern.

  • What an eye sore (Score:2, Interesting)

    by jinushaun ( 397145 )
    Killed by its own ugliness. I'd rather sport the VW 1-litre than the Sparrow.

  • electric cars... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by ptorrone ( 638660 ) * <pt.adafruit@com> on Friday May 23, 2003 @05:45PM (#6027911)
    the sparrow was pretty cool, that's a shame. from what i understand one of the partners wanted lots of $$ so they tanked after his demands could not be met.

    there was a past story here on slashdot about electric cars in washington state (you can now use them) so electric cars are finally getting a chance in some areas. here's the gem car, this looks a little too "golf-carty" for me, but when other models come out i might consider one.

    http://www.gemcar.com/ [gemcar.com]

    on a side note, fuel cells are interesting, but you're still tied to infrastructure that requires you to "fuel" up somewhere. with electric vehicles you plug in. sure, this isn't good for people who move, store and sell gas or hydrogen, but it's better for consumers (that's opinion so far). i'm kinda concerned about fuel cell laptops and other fuel cell powered devices, right now i just plug in, i'd rather not be tied to getting cartridges like a printer, or razors for razor blades-- although, companies who make laptops would certainly love to sell more things to me than just a laptop. right now, i buy one and the sales cycle is pretty much over. we'll see i'm sure others here have other thoughts (and opposite ones at that). currently, i use a segway ht to get around, it costs less than a few dollars worth of electricity per month and i'm pretty pleased with it so far. this week i reached 850 miles. [bookofseg.com] hopefully, this weekend i'm installing my solar array, so i'll be totally off the grid.

    cheers,
    pt
    • If they made fuel cell things for laptops, etc I would hope to see the cartidges to be refillable, like butane torches from radio shack.
      • yep, i'm not sure how i feel about needing to go to the store if i run out of power during a late night coding session, maybe radioshack will go 24/7/365-- that's good for all sorts of reasons :-]

    • Electric Cars Suck.. (Score:5, Interesting)

      by mcrbids ( 148650 ) on Friday May 23, 2003 @06:01PM (#6028001) Journal
      OK, just so I don't get accused of recycling material, I left a post the other day [slashdot.org] with the same subject line...

      But the biatch about 'lectric cars is RECHARGING them. Who wants to go 150 miles, only to wait 8 hours to recharge it?

      It seems to me that the best alternative energy car is the air car [theaircar.com] .

      It runs on compressed air, and actually cleans the air as you drive it! Range of around 200 miles, and you can refuel in under one minute.

      If no external compressor is available, there's an internal one that takes a few hours - so at its worst, it's pretty comparable to an electric car.

      To refuel takes about $2 worth of electricity!

      If I had the $$, I'd very seriously consider getting one...
      • Their FAQ said they had pickups, vans, etc being designed as well as the commuter model pictured. Yes, seems quite practical compared to similar sized concept electric vehicles, certainly a lot cheaper at only 8 to 10 grand brand new. And the single charge range is sufficient for most commuting, plus additional stops here and there on the way home. and it has heat for the winter, what they need is some way to have AC now. I'm not sure exactly how much HP you need to run a normal car sized compressor, 10HP m
      • Is there any reason why alcohol, so clean and so renewable, seems to always be overlooked as an alternative fuel?
        • Alcohol is promoted as a "renewable fuel", but only by people with an economic interest in its increased consumption. Describing it this way conceals the fact that producing alcohol itself has a heavy ecological impact. Most of this is because farming is very energy and chemical intensive. But there's also the cost of taking the resulting biomass, fermenting it, distilling it, and disposing of the resulting waste. I don't have decent figures, but this does not strike me as an efficient process. Probably mor
      • If I had the $$, I'd very seriously consider getting one...

        From their web site, it doesn't look like they're currently available to the average consumer at any price.... but they project a very affordable $8000-$10000 right now.

        If it's real, it's pretty intruiging.
      • Who wants to go 150 miles, only to wait 8 hours to recharge it?

        Anybody who lives in a city, and doesn't commute to another city. I borrowed a Sparrow for about 8 months in San Francisco, and it was perfect. It got me anywhere I needed to go in the city, it was very easy to park--a real issue in SF--and I just recharged it overnight.

        The Sparrow was the perfect city car. I was on the waiting list to get my own when the company shut down.
    • Good point. Why can't we refill hydrogen fuel cells from grid power? I thought it was easy to extract hydrogen from water - or does it just take too long?
  • Who cares?

    Electric cars aren't the environmental dream they appear to be; the electricity needs to be produced somewhere, donnit? And the main reason they seem like such a lovely alternative (financially, noise and air pollution, size, etc) is because they are heavily subsidized.

    Now, don't get me wrong, I love the things for aesthetics alone, and I sure won't complain that I didn't get a ticket for not feeding the meter (L.A.), but until electricity production is moved away from petroleum and its ilk, the

    • Economy of scale... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by zipwow ( 1695 ) <zipwow@g[ ]l.com ['mai' in gap]> on Friday May 23, 2003 @06:07PM (#6028029) Homepage Journal
      Every time this argument is made "that electricity has to be made somewhere!", someone has to reply "Yes, but it can be done more efficiently if its all in one place."

      Just like when you're coding, if you have one function in once place, you can tune its performance, if you have your power generation in one place, you can tune its efficiency and polution.

      Even if we stay with our current very dirty approach to making power, electric vehicles would still greatly reduce pollution. Small gas-burning engines pollute much more than large plants, which can have scrubbers, specialized parts, etc.

      And when you're ready to swap out your file-reader for a SQL database, there's only one place to fix. Same goes with energy production. When we finally run out of oil and are ready to move onto something else (whatever it is), we only have to upgrade the plants, rather than 10 hojillion individual cars on the road.

      Lastly, the subsidy comment. From what I've read, Corbin's books didn't have large government grants. There are a few tax breaks and other, pretty minor, incentives out there. However, given the above statements about reductions in pollution and the easing of the future transition to cleaner energy, I'd say that more subsidies is what we need.

      -Zipwow
      • On the one hand, I agree with most of your points. On the other, it seems you are placing the concerns I outlined into the "we'll deal with it when we get to it" drawer. Now, this works fine when you're coding by yourself. But if you're talking about code which replaces those 10 hojillion scripts, that's a poor strategy.

        Granted, it is easier to replace one power plant than half a billion cars.
        But, it very messy to start replacing a half billion cars only to decide halfway through the technology sucks and

      • Speak for yourself - some of us live in areas that get the majority of their power from clean sources. :)
    • Even electricty generated from the same old nasty stuff (coal, etc) is more effecient than a gasoline powered car. That includes the loss in transmission. It's also a lot easier to generate electricity from renewable sources than it is to generate gasoline.

      The main problem with EV's is that battery's are heavy and fairly expesnsive. They aren't especially bad for the enviroment because they are almost 100% recycled. Refueling could be made as easy and quick as refueling a gasoline powered car (probably qui
      • Look, please understand that I agree with the concerns you guys are bringing up. But don't you think it's a little Utopian (to put it nicely) to blithely make comparisons between gasoline and electric cars as if the choice really was renewable vs nonrenewable energy? If you are as big of an environmental buff as you claim then you are aware that renewable energy currently comprises a small percentage of US production.

        I agree that electric cars are a good idea, but by themselves, they are a waste of time. T
        • The real solution is that all electricity should be produced by renewable means but that really is a different (if related) issue. That people think a coal plant is more attractive than a wind farm just strikes me as insane. Wait until the brownouts get worse and maybe people will finally see the light. Or maybe we just need a politician that isn't so involved with the oil business.

          I won't argue that it won't catch on with the general public but then my opinion of the general public is that they're comple
        • Actually EV's (even working almost entirely on home brew old technologies and sealed lead acid batteries) can already hit the price-point, speed, looks, and power that you talk about.

          In fact a vehicle converted from electric to gas is frequently _more_ fun to drive (and still looks the same from the outside) as your full torque is typically available through the entire power curve. Think EV's have to be wimpy golf carts or suppository shaped? Checkout the amateur monsters that race in the National Elec [nedra.com]

  • The sparrow with the harly engine (Score:3)

    by delmoi ( 26744 ) on Friday May 23, 2003 @05:53PM (#6027956) Homepage
    Did anyone ever see the sparrow with a Harley engine? The thing only got 35 miles to the gallon, less then a Toyota Echo. Rather then putting an 'engeneered to be loud' harley engine in their frame they could have worked on a real hybrid car. Talk about a lost opportunity.

    This company was lame, and their products were ugly. They should have just made simple electric bikes, rather then putting a cheap shell around a trike :P

  • Um... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Chicane-UK ( 455253 ) <chicane-uk@ntlwor l d . c om> on Friday May 23, 2003 @05:56PM (#6027970) Homepage
    Wasn't it Goldmember himself who drove the Sparrow in the movie? Austin Powers was chasing him in a Mini! :)

  • It must be done (Score:2, Funny)

    by rahl ( 292047 )
    This.. is an EX-Sparrow!

  • Decent Sparrow pictures ... (Score:4, Informative)

    by mike_lynn ( 463952 ) on Friday May 23, 2003 @06:03PM (#6028006)
    ... considering the article didn't have any.

    Try:

    www.firstmoto.ch/F6/design/Sparrow.html [firstmoto.ch]

  • I got to test drive a Sparrow (Score:5, Informative)

    by bzipitidoo ( 647217 ) <bzipitidoo@yahoo.com> on Friday May 23, 2003 @06:13PM (#6028055) Journal
    I'm not crazy enough to ride a motorbike, but I thought a 3 wheeler might be a good deal safer so when I had a chance I stopped in. They were nervous about letting me try one because another customer had crashed one earlier that day. Um....

    First thing I asked them was how prone was the Sparrow to tipping over. There was a lengthy silence so I moved on to other questions.

    Once at the wheel, I was super cautious. Never got over 30. Motor made a high pitched whine even at 5 MPH and just kept winding that pitch up beyond dental drill range. There was a drainage channel angling across the exit (they were at the end of a turn-around circle). I had visions of the Sparrow flipping over if I took that exit with any speed at all-- left wheel down as that side hit the dip, then left wheel up and right wheel down, perfect conditions for tipping over. So I didn't try it.

    Aside from being a 3 wheeler, the big problem was the electric part. 60 mile range (at best) before needing hours to recharge was bad enough. Then to learn that the batteries would only last 2 to 4 years before I'd have to replace the lot for several hundred dollars convinced me it wasn't even a little bit practical. You're not doing the environment any favors when you're going thru lots of batteries. Far friendlier to use a conventional car.

    Corbin was hard at work on a gas powered 3 wheeler called Merlin at the time. Wonder what became of that effort?

    • I had a Sparrow and loved it --- when it was working. It never felt in the slightest "tippy" with 700+ lbs of lead in the bottom of it, though apparently it's rather like an SUV in that you don't want to be running a slalom course in one.

      The short wheelbase did make the steering very quick, and you really had to pay attention to it above about 60mph. I wouldn't drive it for any length of time over 65-70.

      The motor whine never bothered me, but the brakes squealed to high heaven. It wasn't much of a pro

  • Corbin has this reputation. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by forii ( 49445 ) on Friday May 23, 2003 @06:13PM (#6028061)
    I'm not surprised that Corbin motors went under. The people who run Corbin seem to have a problem with building a business to match their products. Their motorcycle seat business is the same way: nice products (I have one for my Ducati 900SS), but the company is known for extremely poor service and support. Reading the article just reinforces my opinion that they just don't understand that there's more to a successful business than having a decent product.


    I saw a bunch of their car/motorcycle things here in Silicon Valley, but I'd never drive one when I could ride a real motorcycle. [caltech.edu] (And yes, that's a Corbin seat there as well).

  • Pictures (Score:4, Informative)

    by mrpuffypants ( 444598 ) <{mrpuffypants} {at} {gmail.com}> on Friday May 23, 2003 @06:19PM (#6028082)
    For those of you wondering what they look like, here's a pic:

    http://www.photowords.com/Earth7408.jpg

    Courtesy Google Image Search

  • haha! (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Ha ha, who cares. Only stupid hippies drive electric cars, anyway.

  • Here are the reasons for their bankruptcy:

    http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/5927 75 3.htm

  • Alas... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by wahmuk ( 163299 ) <jlwomack61@@@gmail...com> on Friday May 23, 2003 @06:59PM (#6028274)

    I've actually driven a couple of Sparrows, on two different occasions. The Atlanta dealer [eevolutionmotors.com] allowed me to test drive them, once just in a parking lot, and a few months later my wife and I drove another one on the road (separately, of course. It's strictly a one-person vehicle).

    I must say that I was impressed with the ease of maneuvering it and the get-up-and-go that it had, it was a ball to drive. Tearing through light traffic on Briarcliff Road and freaking out the locals... it was a lot of fun. We thought about buying one, maybe even two of them, had they improved it and actually gone into full production of the planned "Sparrow II". The short range didn't bother me (I live less than a mile from work), and I really like the quirky styling.

    My take on it is that the company was just so poorly managed that it would never have made any difference how much money it made, it would never have been profitable. If you take the number of Sparrows and Merlin Roadsters actually produced and divide it into the money they burned through, you find that they sold them for about a tenth of what they spent to build them. Full production-line efficiency and better design would have brought that cost down eventually, but it would take more than price and cool factor to make them profitable.

    The huge salaries drawn by the top execs and the leases on their company Bentleys couldn't have much to do with it, could they? :)



    By the way... why is this news now, two months after the bankruptcy announcement (March 27), and it wasn't news when I submitted it? Sure, I submitted it to Slashdot on April 1st, but it wasn't a joke.

    Hell, their website is long gone, now. We could have taken it down for them and cost Tom a fortune in bandwidth charges!





  • I'm all for electric and energy efficient vehicles. But the Corbin just didn't make sense to me: it was too expensive, too small, felt unsafe, and didn't have much range.

    I'm much more sorry to see something like the Ford Think car go--while it had problems similar to the Corbin, it seemed much closer to being practical (all it needed was a little more range--probably doable with current battery technologies).

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