Starting next month, Maine motorists will be able to drive legally in a new type of three-wheeled motor vehicle.

But there probably won't be a rush to register autocycles with the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles, which has yet to receive any inquiries about them, said Garry Hinkley, vehicle services director.

This year, the Legislature approved autocycles for use on roads with speed limits of 45 mph or less, starting Sept. 12.

Autocycle registration will cost $21, the same as for a motorcycle and less than the $35 for an automobile.

Autocycles are enclosed and operate like cars and trucks, with steering wheels and seat belts. But their safety features are more like those on motorcycles than on automobiles.

Some autocycles are electric; others are high-performance, gas- powered sports models. The bill to allow them on the roads was sponsored by Rep. Gary Connor, D-Kennebunk, after Kennebunk resident Tim Joyal discovered that his electric ZAP Xebra truck, which he registered last year as a motorcycle, wasn't legal.

Joyal bought his autocycle when gas prices were peaking in 2008. He registered it as a motorcycle and used it for his business, The Old House Parts Co., until the Bureau of Motor Vehicles told him to stop.

The California-based ZAP's line of Xebra sedans and trucks, which sell in the $12,500 range, carry two passengers and can reach speeds of 40 mph, with a range of about 30 miles. Their batteries recharge in standard electrical outlets.

Now that gas prices have tumbled, there is little demand for the vehicles. Part of that is because, until Sept. 12, the vehicles cannot be registered, said William Drinkwater of Belmont, who operates a Web site devoted to electric cars in Maine, www.evmaine.org.

One of the few dealerships - if not the only one - selling autocycles in Maine has gone out of business. Kal Rogers, marketing director for Maine Electric Vehicles, part of the Falmouth Motor Group, said the business was put on hold because of the lack of demand.

He said the company put a lot of money and effort into promoting autocycles at environmental events, and many people tested the vehicles. But all that effort produced only one ZAP Xebra sale.

He said autocycles are too inconvenient to compete with gas- powered vehicles. The batteries have to be kept warm in the winter - a challenge in Maine.

Still, electric-car enthusiasts believe there is a future for autocycles, once gas prices increase again.

C. Michael Lewis of Portland, an artist whose three-wheeled electric race cars have set four world records - most recently last month, when his Eracer went 62 miles in an hour at the Ford Electrathon Challenge in Michigan - said autocycles are ideal for Maine's islands, where many residents now get around on less efficient electric golf carts.

Drinkwater is now assembling his own autocycle in his backyard, and plans to show it at a car show in Bangor next month. He said he expects the vehicle will draw some derisive remarks from traditional car fans.

"But they will be all wrong when gasoline is $15 a gallon," he said.

Staff Writer Beth Quimby can be contacted at 791-6363 or at:

bquimby@pressherald.com

Originally published by By BETH QUIMBY Staff Writer.

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