Carver (automotive company)

In 1990 Ton van den Brink, founder and director of Eurotool Operation B.V., questioned the necessity of using a conventional family car for everyday transportation after experiencing traffic congestion in Paris. He founded Eco-Car B.V. to investigate the feasibility of developing a 'slender comfort vehicle', also known as a tilting three-wheeler or man-wide vehicle, having half the width and weight of a conventional car. Research conducted by the firm showed that 90% of cars were occupied by one or two persons, indicating considerable market potential for such vehicles. The company Carver Technology and the patents were excluded from the bankruptcy and remain in the hands of the original owners. Approximately 200 Carver Ones were produced. In 2010, Carver continued its activities as Carver Technology, with a focus on licensing its patents. Venture Vehicles/Persu, and Lynx. In March 2015, a licensing agreement was made with Chinese scooter manufacturer Sunra to use Carver's DVC technology in an electric, enclosed two-person vehicle, but work on the project did not begin. In the fall, Carver began developing its own electric vehicle. The company slowly discontinued its licensing agreements with other companies. The first prototype of the electric Carver was built, tested and optimized in 2017. That same year, Carver started to develop for high volume production and took industry investors on board as minority stakeholders, among which were Velosophy the Dutch Accell group, owners of brands like Batavus and Sparta. In April 2018, Carver opened its doors for pre-orders. Initial plans were to launch the vehicle by fall that year, but this was postponed to early 2019. In December, Carver announced that it would open its own assembly factory in Leeuwarden, Netherlands. Consequently, its headquarters also moved to Leeuwarden. The engineering team remained in 's Gravendeel. ==Dynamic Vehicle Control system==

The unique property of the Carver vehicles is its automatic balancing "Dynamic Vehicle Control" system. The DVC technology was invented to allow for full stability when turning at high speeds in an enclosed narrow vehicle. On a motorcycle, the rider has to work in three modes of operation, i.e. a high-speed, low-speed and stand-still mode. At high speed, the rider keeps balance merely by controlling the steering wheel and making use of the stabilizing gyroscopic effect of the wheels. At low speed and stand still, balance is controlled by using his body and his feet. In an enclosed vehicle, however, the driver does not have the possibility to balance or put a foot on the ground and therefore a mechanism is required that allows the vehicle to stand up at low speeds while also allowing the vehicle's bodywork to tilt when taking turns at higher speeds. In December 2008 Venture Vehicles was renamed Persu Mobility. Persu Mobility continued to hold an exclusive license in North America to produce vehicles using the DVC system and began pre-registration for a vehicle with an internal combustion engine called the Persu V3, to be available in 2014. Persu has also planned future production of a plug-in hybrid. The DVC system also is licensed to PAL-V who are developing a full-fledged flying and driving vehicle. The DVC system has been demonstrated on a self-balancing ATV. == The Carver ==

The Carver is a fully electric vehicle, featuring aspects of both a scooter and a car. In terms of legislation, the Carver is categorized as a scooter, which means that a scooter driving license is sufficient to drive it. Yet a Carver is operated much like a car i.e. in an enclosed compartment with a steering wheel and foot pedals. Like the Carver One, the electric Carver has three wheels; one in the front and two in the back, and is equipped with the Dynamic Vehicle Control system to ensure stability when turning. The Carver is 2.89 m in length, 0.98 m in width, 1.49 m in height and weighs 260 kg. Inside there is space for two occupants (a driver and passenger) plus an additional 75 liters of luggage in the back. The Carver's top speed is 45 km/h, which it can reach within 8 seconds. It range maxes out at 100 km. Being a fully electric vehicle, the Carver carries a 5.4 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery. An hour charging will take you approx 20 km and it takes approximately 4.2 and 5.2 hours to recharge the battery to 80% and 100% respectively. Component production and pre-assembly takes place in China, Taiwan and South Korea. All high-tech components are designed, developed and produced in Europe. The final stages of assembly and vehicle calibration take place in Carver's assembly factory in Leeuwarden, Netherlands. == Carver One ==

Design and specification The Carver vehicle combines aspects of a motorcycle and a car, both in appearance and design. Like many microcars, the Carver has three wheels and the controls of a normal car. The three-wheel Carver One is said to have the comfort, controls and stability of a normal car while showing the dynamic cornering behaviour of a motorcycle. The Carver was design with man-wide vehicles (MWVs in mind.) The Carver can be driven by anyone with a normal car driver's license in the European Union, though other countries outside of the EU may not allow this. In most countries it is licensed as a motorcycle. The dimensions are long by wide by high, giving it a low slim profile, similar to a motorcycle. It weighs , about half the weight of a medium size car or three to four times the weight of most motorcycles. The Carver One can tilt up to 45° while turning. This is not based on how far the steering wheel is rotated, but on how much cornering force is applied to it. The Carver has a four-stroke 16-valve inline-four engine with an intercooled turbocharger, giving a power output of at 6,000 rpm and a maximum torque of at 3,200 rpm. or 0 to 60 mph in 8 seconds. The Carver One was produced in collaboration with Prodrive in the UK. The Carver One was assembled in Germany by ACÜ, part of the Mosolf Group, and officially launched at the Geneva Motor Show on 7 March 2007. Reception The Carver One has been reviewed by various celebrities in various shows. In 2002, journalists Karl Tsigdinos and Conor Feehan got the chance to pilot the original Carver One on the ITV motoring program Drive!. On BBC's Top Gear programme in 2002, Jeremy Clarkson said, "I have to say, absolute hand on heart, I've never had so much fun in a car, really and truthfully, and I don't think I'd ever tire of it." Shortly thereafter the Carver One also featured in a special video of Jeremy Clarkson called "Shoot-out." He announced the vehicle to be "the most fun you can have." Jenson Button tested the Carver One in 2004, and said "this car or bike or whatever you want to call it, is possibly the weirdest thing I have driven". The Carvers have also appeared in Sky Three "The Race" equipped with paint ball guns and driven by celebrities, and also Channel Fives "Gadget Show". Most recently the Carver One appeared in the intro, but not the main program, of Amazon Prime's Grand Tour Season One Episode 5 Moroccan Roll. ==Flying car==

The PAL-V (Personal Air and Land Vehicle) is an autogyro developed from the Carver. It made its first flight in April 2012. ==Version and variants==

in 2022 Carver models • Bug Carver (from 1999) – A carver with wing mirror at the top of the doors • van den Brink Carver – Approx. 24 hand-made Carver One's • Carver One – Approx 200 produced and sold around the world • Carver - electric scooter model Variants • Venture Vehicles/Persu Mobility – US • PAL-V • Phiaro p67b eternity – Japanese Styled • Lynx Lean Electric – Denmark • Helix Motors • Chinese Sunra • Kerv Automotive – Belgian ==See also==