Re: aptera 150 miles per charge

Notes: I'm told the safest 3 wheeler has 2 front wheels.

There are a number of factors with respect to safety.  I had a brief discussion with an online acquaintance that listed the Twike as being less safe due to the three wheeled configuration, single wheel in front.  I took exception to it, and he politely educated me

I know that from personal experience that the Twike is quite stable due to it's low center of gravity (CG).  In turns taken with too much speed, the rear wheels (where 90% of the vehicle weight is located -- you can actually pick up the front of the Twike quite easily, and it is a 500-600 lbs. vehicle) will actually slide/push out.  It exhibits no 'roll over' tendancies at all like the kiddos that got killed driving 3-wheel ATV's or Farm Tractors when I was growing up.  Both tractors and ATV's have a very high CG.

However, he mentioned that the roll-over factor was not the only safety issue, and that the 2-wheels in front/rear wheel steering (like the Dymaxion by Buckminster Fuller) was more stable when it comes to actually steering.

I can attest that piloting a Twike in gusting winds requires a firm grip on the steering tiller.  This is most likely due to the lightness of the front end (the wind grabs it quite easily) as well as the fact that it is a single-wheel front steering vehicle. 

alternate fuel engine to go farther the few times required and or for heat

Using an ICE for 'heat' in an EV is impracticle for a significant number of commuters (using US DoT 1990 Nationwide Personal Transport Survey, 50% of americans drive 25 miles a day or less).  Heat is a byproduct of running the engine, therefore it must 'warm up'.  One of the selling points of electric heat is that it is 'instant on'.  True, it is one of the worst possible use of electricity in terms of efficiency, but in comparison to using an ICE engine for heat, very efficient.  In my case in particular (a less-than 10 mile commute) in our ICE car the engine gets warm enough to provide heat right when I pull into work.

Then there's the question of whether heating is really needed or not.  I Twiked to work all winter in Central Illinois in dress pants, dress shoes and a Columbia Leather coat (insulated, but not a 'puffy coat' by any means).  Leather thinsulate-lined gloves, but no hat.  I did switch to SuperWool dress socks, but plan on using them in the summer too since they're so durable/comfy. I put on earwarmers/scarf for the 100' walk into the building where I worked. 

I was never cold, and the Twike does not have heat.  It was of course stored overnight in a heated garage, so the internal air temperature was warm before I took off in the morning.  On the way home it had sat outside all day, but was significantly warmed by the winter sun.

A far better question is air conditioning ;-)  That same passive solar heat system and laminar airflow does not let a whole lot of air into the Twike, even with the cabriolet top off!

When people ask me about the lack of a heater in the Twike, I snarkishly reply "I firmly invested in Global Warming as a reality"