If it stalls under full load the electronics disable the motor after 4 seconds, while if it is under heavy load (around 80 or 90 amps) it trips after two or three minutes. This would very quickly burn the motor out if sustained, so the motor's load is constantly monitored by the C5's electronics. As the speed of the motor reduces, the current flow through its windings increases, drawing up to 140 amps at stall speed. Sinclair's tests showed that it could cope under power with a maximum slope of 1 in 12 (8%) and could manage a 1 in 7 (14%) slope using the pedals. The torque increases as the load on the vehicle increases, for instance by going up too steep a gradient. However, the motor is vulnerable to overheating. It is coupled with a two-stage gear-drive that increases torque by a factor of 13, without which the motor would not be able to move the vehicle when a person is on board. The C5 is powered by a 12-volt lead–acid electric battery driving a motor with a continuous rating of 250 watts and a maximum speed of 4,100 revolutions per minute. As the C5 does not have a reverse gear, reversing direction is done by getting out, picking up the front end and turning it around by hand. At the rear of the vehicle is a small luggage compartment with a capacity of 28 litres (1 cu ft). The maximum speed of an unmodified C5 is 15 miles per hour (24 km/h). As a supplement to or replacement for electric power, the C5 can also be propelled via bicycle-style pedals located at the front of the cockpit. A power switch and front and rear brake levers are positioned on the handlebar. The driver sits in a recumbent position in an open cockpit, steering via a handlebar that is located under the knees. The chassis consists of a single Y-shaped steel component with a cross-section of about 5.5 by 4 cm (2.2 by 1.6 in) The vehicle has three wheels, one of 317 mm (12.5 in) diameter at the front and two of 406 mm (16.0 in) at the rear. It weighs approximately 30 kg (66 lb) without a battery and 45 kg (99 lb) with one. Enthusiasts have established owners' clubs and some have modified their vehicles substantially, adding bigger wheels, jet engines, and high-powered electric motors to propel their C5s at speeds of up to 150 miles per hour (240 km/h).Ĭ5 seen from the rear, showing the driver's cockpit and the open luggage compartment at the rear Thousands of unsold C5s were purchased by investors and sold for hugely inflated prices, as much as £6,000 compared to the original retail value of £399. Despite its commercial failure, the C5 went on to become a cult item for collectors. The C5 has been described as "one of the great marketing bombs of postwar British industry" and a "notorious . Out of 14,000 C5s made, only 5,000 were sold before its manufacturer, Sinclair Vehicles, went into receivership. Sales never picked up despite Sinclair's optimistic forecasts and production ceased entirely by August 1985. Within three months of the launch, production had been slashed by 90%. It was marketed as an alternative to cars and bicycles, but ended up appealing to neither group of owners, and it was not available in shops until several months after its launch. The vehicle's limitations – a short range, a maximum speed of only 15 miles per hour (24 km/h), a battery that ran down quickly and a lack of weatherproofing – made it impractical for most people's needs. Its sales prospects were blighted by poor reviews and safety concerns expressed by consumer and motoring organisations. On 10 January 1985, the C5 was unveiled at a glitzy launch event, but it received a less than enthusiastic reception from the British media. It was intended to be the first in a series of increasingly ambitious electric vehicles, but the development of the follow-up C10 and C15 models never progressed further than the drawing board. After a change in the law, prompted by lobbying from bicycle manufacturers, Sinclair developed the C5 as an electrically powered tricycle with a polypropylene body and a chassis designed by Lotus Cars. The C5 emerged from an earlier project to produce a small electric car called the C1. He hoped to repeat his success in the electric vehicle market, which he saw as ripe for a new approach. Sinclair had become one of the UK's best-known millionaires, and earned a knighthood, on the back of the highly successful Sinclair Research range of home computers in the early 1980s. Although widely described as an "electric car", Sinclair characterised it as a "vehicle, not a car". It was the culmination of Sir Clive Sinclair's long-running interest in electric vehicles. The Sinclair C5 is a small one-person battery electric recumbent tricycle, technically an "electrically assisted pedal cycle".
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