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2004 Corbin Sparrow

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Think back to the last millenium. The economy was booming, dot-coms were high-flying, and technology was thriving. Startups were frequent, venture capitalism was hot, and the nation was more preoccupied with capitalism than fighting wars overseas. Risks were taken to finance some of the wackiest ideas.

It was this sort of environment in which the Corbin Sparrow was born.

At the time, there was only one fairly mainstream road-going electric vehicle: GM's dismal EV1. That car was so frightfully expensive to produce that the General decided to only lease the car (i.e. one could not buy it), as the sticker price otherwise would have been about $40k. A lot of dough for a car with a range of only about 70 miles.

The Sparrow, in contrast, was the brainchild of Mike Corbin, the famed maker of aftermarket motorcycle saddles. He designed the Sparrow on the back of a napkin: 3 wheels, single passenger, under $15k brand new. He handed the napkin to his engineers and by 1996 the Corbin Sparrow was making rounds on the auto show circuit. It was an instant hit: hundreds of reservations were made, and the Sparrow was a go!

By the late 90s Corbin Sparrows began popping up all over California and other states (hi-mpg.org spotted one in Boulder, CO.) The first time we saw one was while entering an Interstate Highway in Silicon Valley; we were following it in a BMW Z3. Our first thought was, "What a sleek, futuristic machine!" Its fiberglass body is kind of a cross between an egg, a teadrop, and a rollerskate. Our second impression was "Wow, it can move!" as it accelerated away from the Z3 onto the Interstate.

The drivetrain includes 13 deep-cycle lead-acid batteries making up 156 volts. Propulsion is initiated by a single DC motor. The batteries could be charged on any AC power source (110 or 220 volts), though one had to be careful about not overcharging them to maximize longevity. Taking care of the vehicle has its rewards: the Sparrow's energy requirement is roughly equivalent to getting a whopping 175 mpg in a gas-powered vehicle!

Owners reported a top speed of more than 85 mph, but a true driving range of only about 20-25 miles per charge (notwithstanding the advertised 40 miles). It was therefore strictly a commuting vehicle instead of a long-distance road-tripper, but this suit its owners fine: most daily trips tend to be 10 miles or less.

A fantastic advantage of the Sparrow was that it was officially classified by the CA vehicle department as a motorcycle, though as it was fully enclosed, a helmet was not required. Motorcycles, of course, are allowed on the carpool lane in California, so the Sparrow became the only fully-enclosed vehicle allowed in the carpool lane with one occupant only. (Note: this was well before September 2004, when Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation allowing single-occupant hybrid vehicles achieving over 45 mpg in the carpool lane.)

Corbin Sparrows made their mark not only in the landscapes of tech-friendly areas like Silicon Valley, but on the TV and movie screen as well. Sparrows had cameos in James Cameron's sci-fi series Dark Angel, and Mike Myers had a Sparrow in one of his Austin Powers movies.

Despite their popularity and loyal following, Corbin Motors filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy in March 2003, after failing to secure a final round of financing. However, the Sparrow is alive once again after being saved by Myers Motors of Ohio, and is being sold brand new for $17,000 in 2004. They remain loveable and extremely unique in a world where the big automotive companies without the vision of Corbin or Myers have all but given up on all-electric vehicles.