The infamous green car appears at Picnic Day!
During the election season, political ads are stuck to the side
One of the more distinctive vehicles in Davis is the little green electric car often seen around town, not to be confused with the Neon Green Xebra Car. It's cool and green. This model was featured in the Davis-centric science fiction film Teknolust (Unknown whether the car in the film is the same exact vehicle we all see around town.)
It is a Corbin Sparrow — the Sparrow is a single-passenger, three-wheeled electric vehicle that produces zero emissions and recharges within six hours from a standard 110-volt outlet or 2.5 hours with a 220-volt charger. It is powered by a 20kW (continuous) 156-volt DC or 3-phase AC motor. The Sparrow does up to 70mph and can go anywhere from 40-60 miles on a single charge. It is classified as a motorcycle by the DOT.
Though a single seater, the Sparrow sports a 6.5 cubic foot rear trunk to stash your purse or a bag of groceries. The dashboard displays current battery status while the passenger compartment includes a radio/cd player, heater, vents, adjustable tilt steering wheel, adjustable driver's seat and power windows. Weighing just 1600 lbs. (57" tall x 100" long x 50" wide) and retailing at about $15,000, the little green car is available in thirteen different colors and is powered by thirteen rechargeable 12-volt batteries with a one- to four-year battery life.
The Sparrow has been in development at Corbin Pacific since January 1996 and went into production in September 1999. 355 Sparrows were manufactured. Corbin Motors has since gone out of business, the remains owned by another company for a while, and then sold to Myers Motors. The Myers website professes "Glorify God" as their number one value — also on the list is "Share our financial success on behalf of God's Kingdom."
Rueben Arevelo, who works at UCD, owns one of the Corbin Sparrows seen around town.
Naturally, the car was on display for the Whole Earth Festival 2005. (Picture by KalenRidenour)
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