What It Is
Tyfana is a lightweight cyclecar project exploring a single-seat, three-wheel machine with two wheels in front and one in back.
It is not a toy, not a child-style pedal car, and not a heavy miniature EV. The idea is a real adult-scale machine with a strong focus on style, lightness, and memorable local use.
The initial direction is centered around a bicycle-based platform, especially a Class 2 electric bicycle style configuration with pedal capability and electric assist limited to 20 mph.
Over time, the project may also be explored in other forms, including pedal-only versions, kit-based versions, and private-use electric variants intended for track or private-road settings rather than public roads or bike paths.
The goal is to capture some of the visual pull of a classic sports car while keeping the openness, simplicity, and human-scale feel of a trike.
- Single-seat layout
- Three-wheel tadpole stability
- Electric-assisted riding as the initial direction
- Top electric-assist speed target: 20 mph in Class 2 form
- Range target: 60 miles per charge in the Class 2 concept direction
- Lightweight by intent
Built for Memorable Local Rides
This is not about getting from point A to point B as efficiently as possible.
It is about making the ride feel special.
Scenic levee paths, waterfront stretches, neighborhood cruises, and slow social rides are the kinds of settings that inspired this idea. In a place like New Orleans, that could mean the levee, the lakefront, Bayou St. John, or simply taking the long way because the machine makes the trip more interesting.
Why Lightweight Matters
Small is not enough. The real goal is light.
A lighter machine has the potential to feel less intimidating, easier to manage, and more compatible with scenic paths, social rides, and destination outings. It also opens the door to easier transport and storage, which matters if this is something people would want to bring along for rides with friends.
- Easier to move and store
- More approachable than a heavy EV
- Better suited to scenic paths and social rides
- Potential for SUV or van transport by ramp
- More about enjoyment than complexity
Beautiful Everyday Cruising
Part of the appeal is that a machine like this should not need a major occasion to feel worth taking out.
A shaded path, a waterfront route, a slow neighborhood cruise, a stop for coffee, these are the kinds of everyday settings where this concept starts to feel personal rather than theatrical.
The strongest version of this idea is not one that only comes out for special events. It is one that still feels exciting on a beautiful ordinary day.
Why This Concept Exists
This idea comes from two lifelong passions: classic sports cars and bicycles.
Classic sports cars can be beautiful and unforgettable, but they can also be expensive, fragile, and demanding to own. Bikes and recumbents offer a very different kind of joy, open-air freedom, simplicity, and connection to the world around you.
This project grows out of a simple question: could something capture some of the beauty of a classic sports car while borrowing the openness, lightness, and accessibility of a trike?
While the broader velomobile idea helped inspire the project, the direction here is intentionally different, more visually expressive, less niche, and better suited to the American market.
A Machine With a Sense of Place
Some vehicles are anonymous. This one is being imagined for places that already feel distinctive.
New Orleans is full of settings where the ride becomes part of the experience: the levee, the river, the bridges, the lakefront, the bayou, the public paths where scenery and atmosphere are part of why you go.
That does not mean this idea only belongs here. It means it is being shaped around a real kind of riding environment, one where beauty, local identity, and low-speed enjoyment matter.
Where This Stands Right Now
This is still an exploratory concept, not a production vehicle and not something available for sale today.
This page exists to measure real interest, learn how people respond to the idea, and understand how they would want to use a machine like this before deciding what should come next.
Tell Us Where You Fit
If this feels like your kind of machine, tell us a little about yourself. We’re most interested in hearing from people who can genuinely imagine owning, using, or following a concept like this if it develops further.
Still Early, but Easy to Imagine
The idea is simple: create something light, beautiful, and memorable enough to make local riding feel special again.
Not a heavy appliance. Not a generic mobility pod. A light yet sporty cyclecar project for people who want style, presence, and real local fun.