The Cree SAM, designed and developed by the Swiss company Cree[1], is a prototype zero emission battery electric vehicle. It is a tadpole three-wheel car, with two seats in a tandem arrangement.[2]

An image of the Cree SAM, showing multiple views of the vehicle.

About 80 vehicles were produced for public testing in the Zurich and Basel area, in 2001 (SAM Electric Vehicle). In 2003 the company laid off all employees and applied for bankruptcy, but the shareholders including the original designer Daniel Ryhiner bought the company and kept it running, as an investment offer.

In mid-2009 a Polish company, Impact Automotive Technologies (IAT, Pruszkow), was said to be developing a newer and faster version of the Cree SAM with a larger range. It was tested and received road certification in Italy, and was planned to produce 500 cars by the beginning of 2009.

References

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  1. ^ Demattia, Nico (14 April 2004). "This Tandem-Seat Electric Three-Wheeler For Sale Is Surprisingly Cool". The Driver. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  2. ^ "SAM Product Fact Sheet" (PDF). 9 June 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 January 2009. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
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