Hollister
– The Sparrow didn’t fly, but Mike and Tom Corbin hope the Raven
will.
Hollister – The Sparrow didn’t fly, but Mike and Tom Corbin hope the Raven will.
The Raven, a three-wheeled car that can travel from San Francisco to Los Angeles on a single tank of gas, is the Corbins’ latest foray into the single-person automobile market. Their first attempt at a single-person electric car, the Sparrow, ended in failure in 2003 when Corbin Motors filed for bankruptcy. The father-and-son duo tested a pre-production prototype of the Raven publicly for the first time Tuesday.
The bright green prototype looks futuristic, but the Corbins are convinced the single-person automobile is a commodity the American public doesn’t yet know it wants.
The Corbins have been obsessed with the idea for the past decade, and it nearly cost them everything. Their first attempt at a single-person electric car, the Sparrow, ended in failure in 2003 when Corbin Motors filed for bankruptcy. Corbin Motors, which produced the environmentally friendly, three-wheeled Sparrow and Merlin Roadster cars, lost more than $11 million of investors’ money before going bankrupt. Since then, the Corbins, who operate a successful nationwide custom motorcycle accessory business based in Hollister, have learned a lot.
“The time is right,” Tom Corbin said. “We’re very excited.”
So far, the Corbins have invested about $1 million in the Raven. Tuesday marked a milestone for the car. Its first test drive was a success. The car is powered by a 3-cylinder, 800cc gas engine that produces about 45 to 50 horsepower. And at a lean 1,100 pounds, the Raven is expected to get at least 65 miles per gallon and be able to reach speeds of 90 mph, Corbin said. Future generations of the Raven are expected to get 100 miles to the gallon, he said.
The car also features a patented three-wheel steering design that makes it agile. Designed with the urban market in mind, four Ravens can be parked in a single parking spot, making the car ideal for many commuters. The trunk, which hasn’t been installed on the prototype, is expected to be able to hold six bags of groceries. The car is expected to be available to consumers by the second half of 2008 with a price tag between $10,000 and $12,000.
The pre-production prototype tested Tuesday is far from market-ready. The alpha prototype will be tested for the next month, and any problems will be corrected before a second prototype is built. Then it’s time to drum up support from investors, Tom Corbin said.
With gas prices expected to reach $4 per gallon this summer, Mike Corbin sees the Raven as the car of future.
“This is Corbin’s opportunity to do something about the energy crises,” Mike Corbin said. “And we’re doing it right here in Hollister.”
But Mike Corbin isn’t ready to celebrate his accomplishments yet. He knows from experience that success doesn’t happen overnight.
“When we start showing a positive cash flow, it will be a dream come true,” he said.
