Electric trikes are usually intended for the older generation, designed to offer stability when cruising around the park or as seamless street-to-shop mobility for doing the groceries. Typically these well-intentioned trikes are underpowered and painted in depressing shades of retirement home beige.
However, Huffy, ever the innovator, has taken a completely different approach to the electric trike concept. After launching its kids-sized green machine drifter, inevitably, adults wanted in on the fun.
Green machine is Huffy’s three wheeled drifting line up which traditionally featured pedal-powered trikes with dual-action levers, much like tracked vehicles, to control the direction of drift. The electric green machine steps it up a notch with the business end essentially being the front part of a BMX supercharged by a 36v battery and 250w motor.
Traditionally, in the electric ride-on segment you expect to see 12v batteries matched with a 150w motor, so you’re getting three times the battery power and almost two times the electric motor. The green machine’s battery and motor start pushing it into the e-bike category. Instead of pedals, the 20-inch wheel is now connected to two bright green stunt pegs for your feet.
When the electric green machine was first launched, Bruno Maier, president and COO of United Wheels said: “The Electric Green Machine is a first-of-its-kind product and an exciting continuation of Huffy’s legacy of innovation and fun, as well as a welcome addition to the Green Machine family.
“For nearly 50 years, kids have experienced the exhilarating thrill of turning and drifting, and now parents who enjoyed the Green Machine in their youth can share that same thrill with their children, creating lifelong memories and a special bond that spans generations.”
While adults might be used to drifting in rear wheel drive cars, the electric green machine is front wheel drive. At first, this setup seems counterintuitive until you realize that due to the size differential of the front and back wheels it means drifting only really relies on loss of traction.
Forget the complicated calculations of weight distribution, two-way LSDs, suspension calibrations and ridiculous amounts of camber seen in modified drift cars. The electric green machine just works, there’s less to go wrong, no tuning and more fun.
The electric trike’s 36V battery and a 250W motor are capable of propelling it at up to 15mph. Huffy reckons it has a run time of about an hour before the battery needs to be recharged which takes between four to six hours.
The first part of the fun is finding somewhere suitable to test out your drifting skills. If you think back to your first car as a teen, tearing donuts under the street lamps of a local car park it’s time to head back there for some nostalgic fun. Since there’s no pedals, a thumb throttle that’s surprisingly responsive helps control your speed and a digital display acts as a speedo, odometer and shows battery life.
It takes a few tries to get the knack of initiating a drift but it’s easy enough to get a feel for it with some practice. The rear wheels are designed to skid over the surface so all you have to do is flick the handlebars and throw your weight into it to unsettle the rear end.
Thankfully, the rear wheels are made of hardy plastic so they don’t get destroyed in a single use. Even after hours of messing around, the top part can easily be replaced with new sleeves. They’re intentionally sacrificial like any driftmobile and don’t break the bank to replace.
The green machine is targeted at adults and kids alike from 14 years and over so the seat back can be positioned in three different places depending on rider height and comfort. Unlike full sized electric trikes, everything about the green machine is for the novelty factor. In no way is it a practical companion to run errands with but pure childish glee makes walking and any other means of transport seem boring in comparison.