The NmG: No More Gas but an Electric Bill

What do I mean - No
More Gas? Well, actually
that is the slogan of a small
car company and the name
of the electric car that they
manufacture, but more
specifically, the car is called,
NmG (No More Gas)!

This vehicle was first being
built back in 1996 by Corbin
Motors (Corbin - think various
motorcycle parts such as seats)
and was named the Sparrow.

Corbin Motors went bankrupt in 2003 and then enter Dana Myers of Myers Motors who
bought the rights to the vehicle in 2004. Dana Myers retooled and upgraded the Sparrow
and renamed it the NmG and then started selling it in 2006. http://www.myersmotors.com

Enough of how the vehicle came to be, let's talk about it now. The vehicle weighs in
at about 1,500 pounds with a wheelbase of 65 inches and a width of 50 inches. It's a
single-passenger, three wheel vehicle that is typically classed as a motorcycle in most
states.

The NmG is powered by thirteen 12 volt lithium-ion batteries and has an effective
range of 35 to 45 miles with a top highway speed of about 70 mph. So, this vehicle
would make the perfect around town commuter to get you back and forth to work or
to the store or other various errands that the gas guzzler would cost an arm and a leg
to do. Even if you had to hit the highway for a short bit to get somewhere, the NmG
could do it.

The car plugs into an ordinary 110-volt electrical outlet and fully recharges in 6
hours (3 hours with the 220-volt charger). The NmG-1 features an AM/FM/CD stereo,
electrically operated windows, full instrumentation including voltage meter, amps meter,
mph, etc.

The transmission is fully automatic, with two simple settings for forward and reverse.
The car registers as a motorcycle, insures as a motorcycle, and is completely street legal.
Because it has an enclosed passenger compartment, anyone driving the vehicle doesn't
need a motorcycle helmet.

Some of the construction features include: a double A arm front suspension, single
sided swing arm rear suspension, cog-belt drive system, disc brakes, spring over
hydraulic shocks and 13inch five spoke wheels. The NmG's batteries are good for
approximately 2500 charge/discharge cycles at a 50 mile range and it will cost $20
of electricity for 1000 miles of driving at $0.10 / kWh.

As expected, there is quite a following with these vehicles and there is a group on
Yahoo that has information on maintaining and upgrading certain items on the older
Sparrows and the newer NmGs. http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/sparrow_ev/

According to Myers Motors website, the NmG is listed at $29,995. It is pricey when
you put it up against the likes of some of its fossil fuel competitors. However, when
you think about it, no more gas, no more oil, no more oil filters, no more air filters,
no more trouble codes that some dealerships even can't track down, no more replacing
serpentine belts, no more checking the antifreeze in the radiator, and no more pollution.

As far as maintenance on the Nmg, if you are handy with a set of tools, it seems that
you can do a vast majority of the work yourself and as mentioned, there are friendly
websites out there with folks that are familiar with these vehicles.

Let's face it, electric vehicles are coming of age and even with all the major car
companies having hybrids available, this NmG is just the beginning.

Have an auto question or comment? You can email it to me at
kbusch3@verizon.net. Kyle Busch is the author of "Drive the Best
for the Price..." www.DriveTheBestBook.com.