Corbin Sparrow

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Corbin Sparrow
Corbin Motors
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Production	1999-2003 2005-Present
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The Corbin Sparrow is a single-passenger, three wheeler, battery electric vehicle designed specifically for commuting and city driving. It was produced by Corbin Motors.

Powered by a 20 kW (continuous) 156-volt DC or 3-phase AC motor, the Sparrow has a range of 20 to 40 miles and a top speed of 70 mph. Energy is supplied by thirteen 12-volt deep-cycle lead-acid batteries.

Two models were produced: the original "jelly bean" model and then a hatchback model, which was nicknamed "pizza butt" because it was designed for use by Domino's Pizza. The vehicles are so eye-catching that Hollywood star Mike Myers featured a group of them in the movie Austin Powers in Goldmember.

History

In January 1996, Corbin Motors began work on developing an electric vehicle. The Sparrow passed final testing for Department of Transportation certification in April 1999. In September of that year, the Sparrow production line began manufacturing multiple vehicles.

Despite widespread enthusiasm about the Sparrow, the car has major design flaws. The Sparrow may flip over if turned too fast. A few have caught fire when a brake line shorted out against a battery post. The Kevlar drive belt tends to break. The charging system has a history of failing to shut off properly on completion, destroying the batteries.

Fewer than 300 Sparrows were produced. On March 31, 2003, Corbin Motors filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, effectively killing the immediate future of the Corbin Sparrow. A bankruptcy court passed the Corbin assets to Ron Huch's company, Phoenix Environmental Motors, which tried to revive the Sparrow. On August 5, 2004, Ohio businessman Dana Myers bought the Sparrow interests from Ron Huch. The new company, Myers Motors, has upgraded the Sparrow, renamed it the MM NmG (No more Gas), and started selling it on October 1, 2005, for US$35,000. The price has since been reduced to US$24,900.

See also

• Electric motorcycles and scooters
• Electric vehicle
• Messerschmitt KR200

External links

• Corbin files for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy
• The 1st Sparrow Hatched
• Corbin Sparrow Yahoo Group
• Sparrow wiki
• Interview with the creator
• Sparrow Photos
• Tom Corbin's version of the Sparrow's story at CorbinSparrow.com
• If You Build Personal Transportation Modules, Will They Come?
• Corbin Sparrow on 3-wheelers.com