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Ashlander drives conversation piece
Only one Gizmo, above, tools around on the streets of Southern Oregon, its Eugene makers say. The electrically powered, three-wheeled contraption provides the stability of a car without all the pollutants. Owner Tonya Graham says driving the Gizmo around Ashland turns some heads. "It’s very satisfying to drive," she says. "I know I’m not spewing stuff into the air, or adding to congestion or taking up a huge parking spot." Electric ‘car’ grabs attention around town By Bill Kettler ASHLAND — Heads turn when Tonya Graham drives through town. "I know if I look up at a traffic light, somebody’s going to be looking at me," she says. "I’ve heard people talking at intersections, ‘What the hell is that?’ " The buzz began when Graham started commuting around town in a little, white, three-wheeled, electrically powered contraption that looks like a cross between a golf cart and a motorcycle. The Eugene-based company that built the rig calls it a Gizmo. Graham calls it cheap, fun, ecologically-responsible transportation.
"It always felt like I was driving too much car," says Graham, who tooled around town in a 1980 Mustang in her pre-Gizmo days. "I couldn’t (afford to) keep driving it around town and I didn’t want to. "I feel much better about my own piece of the (transportation) puzzle moving around in this," she says. "It’s very satisfying to drive. I know I’m not spewing stuff into the air, or adding to congestion or taking up a huge parking spot." Graham, who works for the Headwaters environmental group, first saw a prototype of the Gizmo several years ago at an environmental trade show. She bought one as soon as the Neighborhood Electric Vehicle Co. (Nevco) began offering them to the public. Nevco president Carl Watkins says Graham’s Gizmo is the only one on the road between Eugene and San Francisco. "Most of the 14 we’ve made are in Eugene," he says. "There’s one in San Francisco, one in Vancouver, B.C., one in Madison, Wisconsin, and one in North Carolina." Watkins says the Gizmo was designed to provide the basic energy-efficient transportation that most Americans need. "Sixty percent of the people live within 5 miles of work," he says. "Seventy-five percent of people in the United States go less than 25 miles in a day. We don’t really need all the extra capacity (of a typical car) to do that." Watkins says the Gizmo emerged when designer Mark Murphy pared transportation down to its bare essentials. Its three-wheel configuration provides stability without the cost of building a four-wheel frame. Steering levers eliminate the need for elaborate steering gear. A single-speed chain drive gives the Gizmo enough zip to merge with town traffic. A fiberglass shell shelters the driver from the elements. "It isn’t an all-purpose vehicle," he says, "but it does what it does extremely well." Graham says the Gizmo’s silence and its quick acceleration make it fun to do errands and drive to work. "It drives more like a motorcycle than a car," she says. "There’s nothing up in front of you like there is in a car. It’s got great visibility. "It picks up nicely. I jump into traffic much more aggressively than I do in my old car because it accelerates better," she says. "I haven’t had any problem moving around in traffic." She says the Gizmo’s only major drawback is its relatively rough ride. "It isn’t quite as smooth as a car. I have to watch for potholes more. In Tonya’s perfect world it would have a smoother ride." The Gizmo’s top speed of 43 mph prevents Graham from driving it on freeways or fast roads. She uses her old Mustang for those trips, but the car hasn’t had much use since the Gizmo arrived two months ago. "I’ve bought one tank of gas," she says. The electricity to run the Gizmo hasn’t made enough difference in her electric bill for her to notice. "It costs about a penny a mile." She’s learned to enjoy the conversations with strangers who want to know more about her "car." "Kids yell, ‘Hey lady can I have your car?’ They want to know if they can drive it before they’re 16. I’ve gotten to meet a lot of people. Pretty much anywhere I stop, people come up and talk to me." Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail bkettler@mailtribune.com |
