A Forgotten Three-Wheel EV Prototype Hits the Market

A rare piece of electric vehicle history has surfaced on eBay. The item is a three-wheeled car prototype from SONDORS, a company best known for its affordable electric bikes but which briefly attempted to enter the passenger car market. The vehicle is being sold for $10,000, a price that matches the original target for a production model that never materialized.

The listing describes the car as a unique artifact from the brand's more ambitious years. While SONDORS later focused on two-wheelers and eventually faced bankruptcy, this prototype represents a short-lived attempt to undercut conventional electric cars with a compact, low-cost alternative. The story of this vehicle highlights the gap between ambitious design concepts and the reality of bringing a new car to market.

Ambitions for a low-cost electric car

The prototype was unveiled at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show with a distinct seating arrangement. It featured two passengers in the front and a third seated in the center behind them. SONDORS claimed the production version would offer 75 to 200 miles of range and accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 5 to 8 seconds, depending on the battery configuration. The goal was to create a highway-capable vehicle that was significantly cheaper than its competitors.

The company even began accepting $100 reservations in early 2018, targeting a 2019 production start. However, the project never moved beyond the prototype stage. Contemporary reports from Electrek and other outlets noted that the initial test vehicles were limited to low speeds to protect the unproven components. The company's resources likely shifted toward its more successful electric bicycle line, leaving the car project incomplete.

Condition and legal restrictions apply

The current owner is asking for $10,000 or best offer, with the mileage listed as just one mile. However, the vehicle comes with significant caveats. The seller states that the car does not currently run and requires cosmetic work. It is being sold strictly as-is with a bill of sale, meaning there are no warranties or guarantees that it can be made operational. Buyers should be aware that this is a project car, not a turnkey purchase.

Furthermore, the vehicle is explicitly not street-legal. It is classified as a concept car, which means it cannot be registered for public road use in most jurisdictions. This legal status limits its utility to a static display or a private restoration project. The seller claims this is the only Model SONDORS concept built, a statement that should be verified carefully given the lack of official documentation.

Provenance remains difficult to verify

Questions remain about the specific history of this unit. The prototype commonly seen at auto shows was a deep maroon color, while this listing suggests the car may be white. Sellers often repaint prototypes to make them look like different vehicles, which complicates tracking the exact lineage of the unit. There are also minor differences in the hood vents and wheel rims compared to the well-documented maroon version.

While the seller claims over $1.5 million was invested in the project, a figure echoed by some earlier reports, the current market value is a fraction of that. For collectors of EV history, the car is a fascinating physical record of a failed startup dream. For the average buyer, however, the combination of non-operational status, legal restrictions, and uncertain provenance makes it a niche item with significant trade-offs.