Wheels Blog: Epic EV Torq: Three Wheels + One Electric Motor = Interesting

Epic Electric Vehicles Epic Electric Vehicles said it expects to build 50 of the 2013 Torq E.V.

Morgan Motor Company’s 1930s-retro 3-Wheelers are cool. Of that there’s little doubt. They’re light, fast and guaranteed conversation starters. But what if you took that same Morgan, made it look all futuristic and replaced its noisy V-twin motorcycle engine with a silent, powerful electric motor?

You’d get Epic Electric Vehicles’ Torq Roadster, which resembles an escape pod from a ’90s space movie and has an electric motor, carbon-fiber body and, yes, only one rear wheel. Like the Morgan 3-Wheeler, the Torq EV is basically a sporty toy for people who have extra money lying around. But it is a mean-looking little buggy. If you’re the sort of car-loving playboy who is into 3-wheeled cars (come on, you know you’re out there) and prefers “Star Trek: The Next Generation” machines to ones like those featured in Lawrence of Arabia, the Torq could be what you’re looking for.

David Vespremi, a former Tesla Motors executive, became Epic’s first customer in an official-looking handoff ceremony last month. Judging by his blog post on the subject, Mr. Vespremi is pretty amped on having a Torq, and said the electric 3-wheeler is nearly as quick off the line as a Tesla Roadster. Mr. Vespremi commended not only the Torq’s quickness, but also its silence — the electric drivetrain means he can sneak out of the house at dawn for “spirited driving” without waking his entire family with the roar he’d subjected them to with his 400-horsepower Toyota MR2.

Epic Electric Vehicles said in a news release that it would produce about 50 Torqs for 2013. Prices start at $65,000 in the United States. If you want to play, be prepared to pay a $10,000 deposit. The company is also taking $5,000 deposits for a 2014 model.

I wish I could say more about the car, but since I’ve neither seen it in person nor driven it, I’ll leave you with a kernel of utter nonsense (which seems in keeping with chatter about a 3-wheel electric roadster that costs more than a couple of average family sedans): I have to wonder if driving one feels more carlike, or more like one of those speeder bikes the Ewoks ride in “Return of the Jedi.”

Wheels Blog: Kia and Hyundai Are Recalling 1.9 Million Vehicles in Three Actions

Hyundai Motor America 2010 Hyundai Elantra.

Kia and its parent company Hyundai are recalling almost 1.9 million vehicles in three actions, according to reports posted on Wednesday on the Web site of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

About 1.7 million of those vehicles – Hyundais and Kias – are involved in separate recalls for the same problem: a malfunctioning stop lamp switch.

The automaker said the malfunction could set off a variety of faults, including the failure of the cruise control to disengage, failure of the brake light to illuminate, the ability to move the gear-shift lever out of Park without applying the brake and “the intermittent operation of the push-button start feature.”

The third recall covers about 186,000 2011-13 Hyundai Elantras because an air curtain air bag, if deployed in a crash, could propel a support bracket from the headliner into an occupant.

The largest stop-lamp recall covers just over one million Hyundai models, according to a report the automaker provided to the safety agency. They are the 2007-9 Accent and Tucson; 2007-10 Elantra; 2010-11 Genesis Coupe; 2007-11 Santa Fe; 2011 Sonata and the 2008-9 Veracruz.

The Kia recall covers almost 624,000 vehicles, according to the report filed with N.H.T.S.A. They are the 2011 Optima; 2007-10 Rondo; 2007 Sedona; 2007-11 Sorento; 2010-11 Soul and 2007-10 Sportage.

Some other Hyundai models had already been recalled once for a similar problem.

Hyundai in 2009  recalled almost 532,000 2005-8 models after the agency began investigating consumer complaints.

Hyundai decided the new recall was needed after Transport Canada, a counterpart to N.H.T.S.A., began investigating customer complaints of stop-lamp problems on models built after the 2009 recall. That prompted N.H.T.S.A. to get involved.

The Elantra air-bag recall was prompted by an investigation the agency began last year following the complaint from an owner who said his ear was cut when the air bag deployed.

In Hyundai’s report to the safety agency, the automaker said it had discovered the supporting bracket on some vehicles was apparently dislodged when optional auto-dimming rearview mirrors were installed after the vehicles left the assembly plant.

Hyundai described the recalls as voluntary, but once a manufacturer is aware of a safety problem the law requires it to inform the agency within five business days of plans for a recall or face a civil penalty.