Currently reading: Frankfurt motor show: KTM E3W
KTM's electric city car breaks cover at the Frankfurt motor show. It could go on sale in 2013

KTM, maker of the hardcore KTM X-Bow street-racer has revealed a two-seat electric three-wheeler at the Frankfurt motor show.

Read our first drive review of the KTM X-Bow R

The pod-shaped prototype KTM E3W (Electric-3-Wheeler) has been created by the firm with the Austrian Institute of Technology and is being pitched as an alternative to the electric Renault Twizy.

Read more about the Renault Twizy

It is powered by a 15kW electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack, which on a full charge gives a claimed range of around 60 miles.

To aid practicality, the scissor doors make getting into and out of the car easier.

To keep the E3W’s weight low, the electric tricycle gets a plastic body, meaning the EV tips the scales at 500kg.

KTM is hoping to produce 50,000 units of the E3W per year from 2013, priced at between $7000 and $11,000 (£4400-£6800).

Niki Sorabjee

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