A One-Wheeled Vehicle Might Be The Ultimate Overlanding Machine

We sometimes accept rather strange things as being normal. A mile is the random-ass figure of 5280 feet. Really? What about the fact that they sell hot dogs in packs of 10 and buns in bag of 8? How long have we put up with that shit? Also, if two points establish a line and three points determine a plane, why do off-road vehicles have four wheels?

That’s a question a number of inventors seem to have asked. Naturally, a two-wheeled dirt bike can traverse areas that a Jeep could only dream of going. With that logic, doesn’t one wheel make even more sense?

It might: there are some new examples out there of unicycle-like vehicles for exploring off the road, and they possibly have their origins in the work of an inventor from over half a century ago that never got the attention he deserved. This man had ideas for even bigger one-wheeled machines that were never realized. We can’t let that happen, can we?

Two Wheels Good… One Wheel Better?

“ON YOUR LEFT!!” This was the scream I heard behind me while biking on the Des Plaines River Trail near my house a few weekends back before Chicago gave up the last of summer. I was running out of steam and pedaling slowly at this point, so I knew I was going to get passed by faster bikers but this person sounded WAY back there and his yelling seemed premature. Seconds later, a guy perched atop a single rubber wheel zoomed past me kicking up a rooster tail of dirt at some absurd speed, leaning left, right, and forwards as he weaved his way along the rough gravel path. What the hell was this power unicycle?

There are a number of different models out there, but I believe the one that passed me on the trail was an InMotion V14 Adventure. Powered by a 4000 watt electric motor that can allow it to reach speeds of up to 43 MPH in ideal conditions, this thing is capable of things that seem to defy the laws of physics. The V14 can even climb a 50-degree angle and could go 75 miles on a charge. I’m not sure I’d have the leg strength to stand for that long. If you haven’t seen these before, check out these 90 seconds of absurdity and you might be reaching for your credit card:

Naturally, it’s the gyroscopic effect of the motor in this thing that helps to keep it in balance, but what if you had something larger? How could a one-wheeler that allowed you to sit down or even carry an extra person stand upright and not fall over, even when standing still? That would take a little more work, but that work has already been done.

Not That Chuck Taylor

Every once in a blue moon, we have a genius that comes along and gives us incredible concepts years before they become mainstream products; often these inventors never get the credit they’re due. Nikolai Tesla died penniless despite contributing to the development of X-Rays, robotics, and wireless transmission of energy. Here’s one more underappreciated innovator to add to your list.

Recently our Mercedes Streeter wrote about a man named Charles Taylor who, among other creations, developed a one-wheeled vehicle concept that dwarfed the InMotion personal recreation devices.

I strongly recommend that read her post if you missed it; since I can’t hold a candle to any of her well-written technical and historical pieces, I’ll just hit the high levels.

Gyroscopes have been used to level out less-than-three-wheeled vehicles in the past. One of the more publicized ones is the Gyrocar from 1967 which was restored by our friends at the Lane Motor Museum:

Sure, a single gyroscope will level the car in one plane, but how about something without a second wheel to stand on?

Taylor’s patent drawings show that he proposed using two gyroscopes to level out this vehicle; front-to-back with one lateral gyro and side-to-side with a second longitudinal one. By turning the angle of the lateral gyroscope with a steering wheel, the whole machine could change direction.

The second gyroscope controls later leveling Gyroscopes, and supposedly a blower system controlled by balance weights was employed by Taylor to help level the platform but those who have studied patent drawings do not have a conclusive answer as to how this would have worked.

Don’t think it could work? Neither did I, but this video still below kind of tells you all you need to know: Charles Taylor really did make a functioning one-wheeled vehicle. Charles Taylor also appears to be wearing Chuck Taylor shoes: coincidence?

Here’s more fascinating video of this thing in action. It seems to have difficulty leveling itself front-to-back, but we know that this could be perfected with later prototypes; we need to cut a guy who built something in his workshop sixty-plus years ago some slack:

Ah, but this demonstrator was simply a proof-of-concept. Here is an illustration of Taylor’s true vision involving a wheel bigger than a tractor tire that could carry several people in a closed cabin. Damn, that’s some wild shit there, son:

Interestingly, the patent drawing of this big thing shows that the giant wheel was to have moved front-to-back to compensate for the forward and rear tilt under braking and acceleration. Look how the wheel even intrudes into space between the driver and front passenger! I’m assuming that is the air blower on back, and you can see a little “training wheel” on front.

Sadly, like Tesla, Charles Taylor’s giant one-wheeler never made it beyond the drawing stage. This was an idea ahead of its time, especially when even four-wheel drive Jeeps were barely becoming commonplace in the consumer world. Half a century later, the day of the one-by-one might finally be here.

The Empire Strikes Back, Sort Of

There are parts of Taylor’s patent drawings that aren’t fully understood, and we can’t say for sure if he himself had everything figured out. Things like the blowers Taylor used to keep it level seem to be merely the best solutions they could come up with back in the day, though by all means it’s mind-blowing to see what he accomplished using civilian-accessible 1950s equipment. With today’s technology, there’s far more that could be done.

The vehicle in the vintage two-passenger concept rendering looks a bit like a pickup truck that got impaled by a giant wheel, so for a modern interpretation I’d rather look at something different. Naturally, my mind goes to the two-legged AT-ST “walkers” from Star Wars:

We’ll go with such an angular look, complete with Concorde-style tapering nose and a large windshield/skylight for great visibility but surrounded by a steel frame. Massive glass side doors slide back to allow access to the cabin. Here’s a rough vision of what I’ll call the CT/AT, which is short for Charles Taylor All-Terrain.

A silver or white “roll hoop” structure at the back of the vehicle hides the mechanicals and provides extra protection if the gyros go belly up and the thing flips over. Note how the “hoop” has a recess for roof-mounted high-intensity lights.

The single wheel of the CT/AT is held by an arm that theoretically could move the wheel fore and aft as on Taylor’s original concept to help keep the cabin level when the vehicle stops and starts. The arm can also pivot to raise and lower the cabin; unless a built-in ladder is deployed there’s no other way you’re going to get into the thing.

Power would be from an electric motor driving a shaft down to the wheel; I might even provide a range-extending motor since I get the heebie geebies when I think of an EV going into the great unknown where charging stations don’t exist. Batteries would line the floor on either side of the wheel and, if possible, these battery packs could slide back and forth to help compensate for whatever passengers or payload is up front. Could they move fast enough to counteract acceleration/deceleration forces, and do that instead of having the wheel move fore and aft as in Charles Taylor’s patent drawings? That’s above my level of intelligence to answer.

Active suspension is another feature that Charles Taylor didn’t have at his disposal to work with. Maybe it’s the cost, or possibly the weight, but these systems appear to have far more capabilities than most car makers seem interested in exploring today. Even three decades ago, Bose developed an active system that they demonstrated in an old Lexus LS400 that could literally do steeplechase-style jumps without the need for a strategically placed dirt lump or empty car carrier ramp that existed in Hazzard County:

I can’t see the typical LS400 owner needing to launch himself above anything on the way to his dental practice in 1993, but I sure as shit can see the CT/AT one-wheeler going through the forest and hopping over downed trees and similar things that might stop other off-roaders cold.

That Wheel Intrudes A Bit

Designing the interior space of a vehicle is a bit tricky when you have to accommodate a tire about the diameter of Big Ben’s face right down the center. I’d like to move the driver and passenger far enough forward that they could at least see each other.  In the space on each side of the wheel behind the front seats you could add jump seats for children; I don’t think I want the extra 400-pound payload of two extra adults but kids would work.

I’m actually not sure if a steering wheel or control stick would make sense for using to pilot this thing. The fact that you lean to turn means the latter might be more intuitive.

The glass side doors can slide back far enough to access just these front seats or go further back to expose the cargo space behind flanking the wheel. Note the screens in front of driver and passenger, plus a center screen that would likely be wired up to the rearview camera just above the logo on the back.

I’m guessing you could drive the thing with the doors slid back and open in a GET DA CHOPPA format. Personally, I’d actually prefer to keep them closed and enjoy the beauty of nature the right way: with the air conditioning on MAX and Ministry’s Jesus Built My Hotrod blasting on the stereo. At least the thing will be quiet and not polluting the air as you smash through brush.

The Achilles Tire

The overlanding acrobatics possible with something like this would be amazing to see. Why wouldn’t we ditch three wheels and just go in the direction of the CT/AT? What’s the catch?

I can see a few things. Naturally, such a vehicle would be Godawful expensive compared to a side-by-side or traditional Jeep. The bigger issue, however, would be that single tire. You could maybe hang a spare off of the back or on top, but how could you change it? Maybe you’d need run flats or even a solid rubber tire with the suspension doing its best to compensate for the vibrations that would knock your molars loose.

I’m the first to admit that I’m not even close to being an engineer, but Charles Taylor certainly proved that an idea like this had merit and made it work in a time before even room-sized computers existed.

(Images credited to Charles F. Taylor where applicable and used with permission.)

A Daydreaming Designer Revisits A Curious ‘Motorhome’ Project – The Autopian

A Man Tried To Build The World’s Most Capable Off-Road Vehicle, And It Had Just A Single Wheel – The Autopian

Finally, The Galileo Shuttlecraft Amphibious Camper You’ve Waited Years For – The Autopian

The Daydreaming Designer Shows How To Make A Budget Tiny House From A Broken RV – The Autopian

Our Daydreaming Auto Designer Reimagines A More Modern Version Of The Legendary GMC Motorhome That Died In 1978 – The Autopian