L3WO
- Lightweight 3 Wheeled Offroad vehicle
The vehicle that is not disabled in itself
Elderly, disabled people and people with balance problems might need a flexible vehicle, stable enough to drive in terrain or indoors, and with a speed to comparable to bicycles and mopeds.
There are countless of such vehicles. The lightweight being unable to drive in terrain, and with very low speed. Those with higher top-speed are often so heavy that they cannot be transported in most cars.
The average speed of the light vehicles being only 6-10 km/h (4 – 6 mph)
So to follow fellow peers, such a slow speed might be just a tad too slow.....
The solution is in progress
Do you want a vehicle, easy to carry and place in a regular car?
One, that is so narrow that it can be driven anywhere indoors, or capable of driving off-road, on grass, gravel, mud, over obstacles, in the forest or even at the beach?
A two-wheeled vehicle works for some, but elderly, disabled or people with balance problems, might need something else.
The lightest 3 or 4 wheeled alternatives that are narrow enough to drive indoors, or light enough to be lifted into a car, are typically limited to 6 – 10 km/h (4 – 7 mph). If they are capable of driving faster, 15 km/h or 25+ km/h (10 mph – 16 mph), as mobility scooters or 3 wheeled mopeds, they usually have a weight of 100 – 150 kg, making them impossible to transport in any regular car
What if you could get the best of both worlds?
- Small enough to carry in busses and trains as hand luggage.
- Three wheels, and an engine in each wheel, capable of driving trough light terrain with ease, including curbstones. With remote control, even some staircases can be managed.
- You decide the maximum speed. As indoor scooter when shopping, 5 km/h (3 mph), at 15 km/h outside - or how about higher speeds as a registered three-wheeled moped, up to 45 km/h (30 mph)
Narrow vehicles, for easy driving indoor, are typically not suitable for higher speeds or off-road terrain. The driver might lack the skills to keep a two-wheeled vehicle upright. Even that has been thought of.
Our Lightweight 3 Wheeled Offroad vehicle comes with adjustable tracks for the rear wheels, to accommodate a total width of the vehicle from 50 to 80 cm, making it as narrow as the smallest indoor scooters or as wide as the larger ones.
You decide how you want to set the rear wheels.
If we also make sure that most parts are ”off the shelf” components, and not ”just” a vehicle for disabled persons, then volume production should make it possible to keep the price at bay.
Such a vehicle is being developed at this very moment
The first two prototypes are already on the street.
The lightest competitors, narrow enough to drive indoor, and light enough to lift into a car, are typically very slow (6 – 10 km/h, 6 mph tops) and are seldom capable of handling even light off-road conditions.
Most vehicles with a higher speed (15 km/h (10 mph) or higher as a moped are usually more terrain capable, but with a weight of around 100 – 150 kg, are completely impossible to carry in any regular car.
L3WO – Lightweight 3 Wheeled Offroad vehicle
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Bring it with you; let it bring you freedom.
Off the shelf parts
Steering, batteries, L-tracks for seats etc and a lot of other parts are commercial "off the shelf" components, also found in two-wheeled electrical kick scooters, bicycles, and even in airplanes and boats. Not only will they make the vehicle cheaper, but also ease the process of getting spare parts
Light and portable
From ground up, the goal was to design a vehicle as lightweight as possible. Most users should be able to lift it into the trunk of their car. It should be foldable as a regular kick scooter, with interchangeable seats, that can be detached easily, and even be small enough to be considered ”hand luggage” in busses and trains. Besides the off-road capabilities, it should also be able to handle most stairs without any weight on the vehicle (user controls it via remote control).
Fast and powerful
With 3 engines/hub motors, each with 300 effective Watts, which can be controlled individually in continual driving. Avoid spinning wheels and drive off-road. It is also pretty fast in acceleration, although with planned ”all wheels on the road” mode, so that a driver might not accidently drive with the front wheel in the air; plus a special ”turbo mode”, made for managing large obstacles. Since the entire wheel behavior is software controlled, the true power of, even relatively small engines, can unlock its full potential.
Do you a want slower speed? There are special programs for indoor, road and off-road conditions, limiting speed and acceleration if so desired.
The user decide!
Freedom with patented technology
L3WO is built on some quite unique principles, e.g. the variable track width. It can be as narrow as the smallest mobility scooters, as wide as the widest, or anything in-between.
The use of a track system, also found on airplanes, makes it not only strong and light, but also provides the possibility to choose appropriate seating, maybe even for two persons, or how to transporting goods, mail or even expand the vehicle to carry a small trailer.
The versatility from the L-tracks (patented use on such a small vehicle) is not only unique but also makes L3WO a vehicle not only for disabled people, but for anyone who wish to have a balanced vehicle, light, fast, both terrain and indoor, for golf, goods or person transport. Even a light canopy is on the drawing board, to protect the driver or any goods being harmed from the wind or rain.
The user decides!
Safe and secure
The carbon fiber frame that is used on most of the vehicle (might be replaced with plastic in the production vehicle), has zones that are shock absorbing, in case the vehicle encounter an obstacle or person.
Any vihicle, not self leaning, will always be easy to turn over when cornering, due to the lack of ability to lean into corners. However, with engines in each wheel, that can be controlled individually, the forward motion of all wheels at the same time makes it more stable than a vehicle with just front or rear drive. Also, ESP, a little similar to what is seen in cars, are on the drawing board for the final vehicle.
With the 80 cm width, that it can be expanded to, it is a little wider than the vast majority of mobility scooters, further adding to the stability, combined with half the vehicle weight being in the wheels itself.
Developed for and by the users
L3WO is designed and build to meet specific needs by the inventor and creator of the vehicle; i.e. a guy with a disability from child birth, Cerebral Palsy, or CP, not capable of riding any 2 wheeled vehicles, tired of always being the ”slowest kid on the block”, with ”disabled” three-wheeled vehicles, or maybe a vehicle impossible to bring on trips in a car, or unable to even move in uneven terrain.
With a born disability and impaired walking function, but not so much that an actual wheelchair is needed, L3WO was developed with both speed and light design in mind, a kind of 3-wheeled electrical kick scooter, but with some unique features, such as the ability to change seats, to accommodate exactly the kind of support a user might need or might not need. With the AWD, the vehicle is capable of moving around with ease.
Lighter engines, to keep the entire vehicle so light that it can be carried or driven anywhere!
The team behind L3WO
Kim saw the need for a light vehicle, not only for disabled people, and have been searching the market for years, But all he ever found was either lightweight and slow, or faster but too heavy and bulky to lift in any car.
The lighter vehicles was not able to handle terrain either, and the faster more terrain capable, was too bulky to drive indoors.
So with nothing really suitable on the market, why not start to build it ourselves?
The first prototype was basically a regular (non electric) kick-bike in the front, an electric off-road skateboard in the back, and an aluminium plate as frame.
It was assembled during the summer of 2022, and has been ”road tested” over some months in all kind of conditions. The result, although light and fast, was not ideal. But the idea was born. This fun, 16 kg foldable 3-wheeled vehicle, L3WO-1 motivated Kim to make something even better.
The next prototype was started ”from scratch”, mostly in carbon fiber and the patented use of a pair of L-tracks (used to mount eg. airplane seats), all-wheel drive and all the experience from the first prototype.
L3WO-2 was ready to roll at the beginning of August 2023.
L3WO-3, shich may be the "final" prototype, are on the drawing board, based on L3WO-2 but even lighter and more versatile, with larger and wider wheels
With a prototype to showcase, some unique ideas and a patent to back it up, the strategy is now to find a suitable business partner as investor, or to license the vehicle principles for at fast global market menetration.
Let’s make vehicles that are not themselves disabled!
Kim Weiss-Poulsen
Inventor and creator of L3WO - Lightweight 3 Wheeled Offroad vehicle
Showcasing the very first public driving of L3WO-2
Søren Weiss-Poulsen
Photographer, test driver representing the non disabled is seen on the very first prototype, L3WO-1 with additonal support wheels
Contact:
Phone: +45 40 90 49 02
email: contact@L3WO.eu
Headquarter in Denmark, where Kim have 20 years of experience running various types of businesses, IT consultancy, sales and since 2022 emerging in L3WO as a project and potential global business
L3WO on Social Media
