3-Wheeled EV: 1961 Taylor-Dunn Trident
Taylor-Dunn has been in business for 75 years, producing a range of electric vehicles for personal and commercial use. While golf carts often come to mind, the Trident was a “neighborhood electric cart” that you could take the kiddos and pets out for a spin around the neighborhood. This example from 1961 looks to have been restored or it’s been very well-kept. Only needing a repair to the reverse switch, it’s ready for more EV adventures!
Headquartered in Southern California, Taylor-Dunn has been around since the late 1940s. Its portfolio, both past and present, includes electric utility vehicles such as “burden” carriers, stock suppliers and pickers, and personnel carriers. In 1959, they added the neighborhood electric cart to the mix. Dubbed the Trident, it was a 3-wheel electric people mover that had headlights, taillights, and even turn signals to help it navigate sub-divisions. Initially, they sat two people, but in 1963 a four-person pickup edition joined the fray.
We don’t know the history of this little fun mobile, but we’re told it’s used weekly to cruise around the park and town. Because these aren’t licensed for street use, no title is apparently necessary. This EV marvel looks like a blast to drive and is well-equipped, perhaps to appeal to the rich and famous denizens of SoCal. It’s available in Long Beach and here on Facebook Marketplace for $8,000. Seeing how popular golf carts have become for neighborhood jaunts these days, this one should fit right in! Thanks for the nifty tip, T.J.
Auctions Ending Soon
2006 Ford Mustang Saleen S281 SCBid Now17 hours$15,000
2002 Subaru Impreza WRXBid Now3 days$100
1975 Chevrolet Corvette ConvertibleBid Now3 days$3,000
1964 Ford F-100 Camper CustomBid Now3 days$2,000
2006 Jeep Wrangler SportBid Now5 days$10,500
Comments
Hmmm. No license required huh? Well that’s right up my alley! Although
I’m sight impaired and can’t drive a
regular car, this would be ideal for me. I myself know several people like
me who use golf carts to go short distances to go shopping or to work.
And so long as you keep them off the
more traveled roads, you should do
just fine. Here in Florida, these are
considered LEVs and can be driven on secondary roads and bike trails
However, the EV you choose has to
have a windshield, wipers, lights, and
turn signals to make them legal. Me,
I’d add a good solar panel to the roof
so I could charge it while I use it. The
only real competitors here would be
Daymak, who offer a vehicle called the Boomer Buggy which is nothing
more than a mobility scooter with a
full body attached to it. And their videos show them being used on
sidewalks. Compared to the Boomer
Buggy, this is a bargain as that vehicle lists for $11K depending on
the options you choose. With something like this, I could go pretty
much anywhere I need to without
having to ask my SIL to drive me
somewhere. And that to me would be
priceless.
Lets cruise and pickup chicks.
Well, when I saw “Trident”, ( or a BSA Rocket 3) an entirely different image came to mind, one of my most sought after bikes. While I never cared for any 3 wheeler, especially one for the road, I always worried that single tire, running in the grease strip, picks up all the debris 4 wheelers don’t. I read, this has a 24V electric motor, a top speed of 16 mph, and with 4-6 volt batteries, has a range of about 3 blocks, with the lights off. Like my stance on all EVs, merely a bandage on a heart attack, and the lack of fizz has already begun, as I read, there is a glut of EVs they can’t sell, “range anxiety” the biggest complaint. Sorry, nice try, but will take a lot more than EVs to solve our transportation crisis. $8 grand would probably get me that Trident I’d really like anyway.
LOVE IT we live close to the high country where that would be a blast LUV the comments!
Yeah Howie, I could see us doin’ that.
LMAO! Don’t think the honeys would be down for that though. Howard, I do think you’d get more range than that especially if you modernize the
charging system and the charge controller. But why should I worry,
my favorite smoke shop and my job
are only 10 minutes away. Meant
what I said about the independence
thing. One of these LEVs could open
a lot of possibilities for me. Gotta
wait til we can buy a house so I could
plug it in at night!
Modernize the propulsion system. Update to a 3 phase motor with Variable Frequency Drive and eliminate the old speed coils. Then you can buy your cancer sticks sooner. It’s still not road legal without a title and a plate. Also need a secondary braking system etc. Then it can be classified as a motorcycle.
Barn Finds, you did it again! You make me want something that I didn’t even know it existed until 3 min. ago.
If you’re gonna do that, you might as well get one of these as a basket case and set about making the mods
you mentioned. Then you won’t feel
guilty about butchering a rare and unique vehicle as this one. Thought about building one myself but don’t
have the space to do it yet. American
Speedster sells plans for small hybrid
EVs that you can build one yourself.
Theirs are a cross between an EV
and a bicycle. Though most of their
designs resemble the Flint mobile from the Flintstones, they look like
they can be built easily and with little
effort. Other than that, I really like this buggy. Too bad they don’t build
anything to carry things for Door Dash.