As the world strives to reduce its carbon footprint and achieve its climate targets, electric vehicles (EVs) are emerging as a viable alternative to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. EVs offer a range of benefits, such as lower emissions, lower maintenance costs, and better performance. EVs can also cater to different user needs, as they come in various forms and sizes.
One of the most innovative and unique EV concepts is the SHANE, a first-of-its-kind parallel two-wheeled electric car designed by Shane Chen, inventor of the original Hoverboard. The SHANE is claimed to be the “first two-wheeled car concept to be practical and efficient for everyday urban and highway use.”
Chen is a long-time inventor who has developed and patented many innovative yet practical inventions, including the first self-balancing Hovertrax scooter, which became known as the Hoverboard, back in 2012. Despite millions of Chinese copycats flooding the market since it was revealed, Chen holds a total of 76 patents today, including the popular Hoverboard, Solowheel, Orbitwheels, Powerwing, and Aquaskipper.
The SHANE invention marks “the inaugural moment in auto history that a parallel two-wheeled electric car is practical for everyday driving.”
SHANE is a revolutionary vehicle that combines a sleek, futuristic design with innovative features. It features large wheels that minimize rolling resistance and in-wheel regenerative shocks that save damping energy to recharge the battery. On the side, LED strips rotate as the giant tires drive away. Its shifting center of gravity relative to the wheels counters the driving and braking torque to keep the car level, making it as stable and safe as being on four wheels.
Once moving, the wheels automatically react relative to the car body to keep the car in perfect balance, allowing the car to safely travel at high speeds – something that was not previously possible.
Although it looks like an oversized toy from the outside, the vehicle is designed to fit five adults comfortably. The inside looks like you are preparing for a futuristic roller coaster. The front of the vehicle features a large opening door that provides easy access for passengers. There is also a rear access that users can use to possibly access the cargo space in the back.
The interior layout is nothing like that seen on a standard car before, except that the whole front part can be lifted up to enter. Not having a steering wheel and everything else that goes with it helps, of course.
Chen does not specifically mention if SHANE is autonomous, but it seems to be the only possible, logical conclusion with the details provided. The video below also shows that there are five passengers in the vehicle, with no one in charge of driving.
“Two-wheeled cars have simply not been practical or stable enough for everyday driving until now. I was excited to create a car concept with two wheels that can go at high speeds and be energy efficient. I truly believe SHANE will make a difference in how we approach mobility, and I look forward to collaborating with partners to bring this concept to life,” says Shane Chen in the press release.
As of now, there is no information available on when the SHANE will be commercially available for consumers. However, the company is open to partnerships for licensing opportunities or to collaborate on the production of a variant of SHANE.
