SCV Concept

Slender Comfort Vehicles (SCV’s) are comfortable vehicles with an enclosed passenger cabin that have a width of about 1 meter. To avoid instability at low speed and while cornering, various approaches can be taken to create such a SCV. Of the various approaches the most reliable and safe solution is a Tilting Three Wheeler (TTW) with an automatic control: Dynamic Vehicle Control (DVC).

DVC technology enables SCV’s to corner as fast (or even faster) than a car while still allowing these vehicles to be comfortable and safe to drive. It provides the new vehicle paradigm has a number of other advantages, some of which only become obvious when driving such a vehicle.

Similar to how four wheel cars have evolved to a multitude of categories, also the tilting SCV concept lends itself to a wide variety of classes, each having its own market and design characteristics. Carver Engineering is prepared to assist car or motorcycle manufacturers in the development and exploitation of one of these SCV categories.

The DVC Technology Portfolio

Besides tapping on a promising new market with innovative vehicle concepts, the SCV concept also offers a pragmatic contribution toward limiting fuel consumption and the reduction of CO2 emissions. By using the SCV (Slender Comfort Vehicles) concept CO2-emission could be reduced up to 50%.

Because of its narrow width and low weight the fuel consumption and the related emissions of such vehicles will be small. It has been estimated that for a conventional design, a reduction in fuel consumption and emission of 25% can easily be obtained, and with some further aerodynamic development reductions over 40% must be possible. By combining this technology with advanced propulsion methods, an average fuel consumption level of close to 2 litre of gasoline per 100 km under normal driving conditions will be possible, without having to sacrifice its sporty driving performance. Our developments together with a wider adoption of SCV’s could bring a major reduction in the need of fossil fuels and may make the Kyoto targets more attainable, provided that a wide market adoption would be achieved.

Recently the European Commission concluded (pdf, 184 kB) that more options will be reviewed to further reduce CO2 emissions from passenger cars. SCV’s could contribute to this reduction. By adopting Slender Comfort Vehicles in their product portfolio’s, car manufacturers could meet their average emission targets more easily. Carver Engineering offers its knowledge and expertise in this field to assist car and motor manufacturers to meet their environmental targets — see Editorial “Slender Comfort Vehicles” The forgotten challenge (pdf, 404 kB).

Driving SCV

Slender Comfort Vehicle equipped with DVC offer the following driving characteristics.

• It allows a very quick and assertive driving style.
• It delivers sports type characteristics.
• Thanks to the high power-to-weight ratio it gives high acceleration.
• It is easier to manoeuvre than a car.
• Despite being compact, its high-speed road behaviour is superior to that of small compact cars. It road behaviour is comparable to that of a normal sedan.
• As all wheels stick to the ground firmly, it has no squeaking wheels in sharp corners.
• Thanks to the tilting action there are no side forces to the driver, even when taking curves with high centrifugal forces.
• It gives safe and stable off-the-road behaviour.

Safety aspects of SCV

Due to their small size, SCV’s often are perceived to be less safe compared to a conventional car. This does not need to be the case.

• SCV’s have a larger chance of avoiding an frontal crash.
• SCV’s allows the application of a monocoque ‘tub’ approach as known in Formula 1 cars.
• SCV’s have a safety ratio that is similar to that of a car and in some cases even better, and is far better than a motorcycle.
• When road conditions are slippery, falling over is not a risk. DVC controlled SCV’s will slide like a car whilst staying upright.

Practicality

• SCV’s requires considerably less parking space than a car.
• They is highly manoeuvrable in heavy traffic.
• In some countries SCV’s are allowed in the car pool lanes and / or bus lanes, similar to motorcycles.

Economical

• Despite its sporty driving character it has relatively low fuel consumption.
• Taxes are low (in Europe it is generally taxed as a motorcycle).
• It may also have an interesting tax advantage for company cars (in the Netherlands).

Ecological

• Due to its low weight and low air resistance it shows low fuel consumption.
• For the same reason it shows low NOx, CO and hydrocarbon emissions per kilometer.

Emotional

• It is extremely enjoyable and exciting to drive.
• Its tilting behaviour gives it a logic and natural feel, just like skiing. This rapidly becomes an integral part of the driving experience and reverting to conventional vehicles only serves to highlight this enjoyment.
• Its comfort is similar to that of a car and is far higher than that of a motorcycle’s.
• The vehicle body and the driver are always in balance even with sharp corners, making it much less tiring and stressful to drive.
• It has a high-tech image.
• It is unique and exclusive.