The popular adage goes like this: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So I’m sure some people will find the NMG beautiful.

Beautiful, however, wasn’t the first word that came to mind when I saw the all-electric vehicle in person for the first time. Neither was the word ”car,” come to think of it.

To be fair, the sheen of its bright yellow finish and the smoothness of its body lines make the NMG look almost sporty.

But it doesn’t disguise the fact that the vehicle has only three wheels, one seat and an awkward disposition that makes it look like a tadpole without its tail and hind legs.

Michael Ridden, owner of The Solar Store in Bend, agrees the NMG isn’t conventional. But he added that the vehicle has its distinct advantages, as well.

”It’s not for everybody,” said Ridden, whose store is currently the only independent NMG dealer in the country. ”But on $3 of gas, you can get maybe 20 miles on an SUV. On $3, you can get 250 miles on the NMG. It has no emissions, and it can pretty much beat any car off the line.”

The NMG, which stands for No More Gas, is the only electric vehicle in the country that can achieve highway speed of about 70 miles per hour. Manufactured by Myers Motors in Ohio, the NMG has quietly made its way to Central Oregon. The Solar Store started selling the $24,950 vehicle in May.

Looking at the vehicle before my test drive, it’s hard to imagine the vehicle doing anything quietly without drawing attention.

After all, the NMG, at 1,350 pounds, is less than half the weight of most cars on the road today. Its size makes a Honda Civic look like a German Tiger Tank. From inside the cockpit, it made me look like Shaq.

”Take it out onto Third Street,” Ridden told me. ”See the reactions you get.”

He wasn’t kidding. As I pulled out of The Solar Store, a white van drove by, its driver eyeing the NMG all the way.

That was only the start.

On Third Street, two women on the sidewalk pointed, at the NMG I assumed, and laughed.

On the intersection of Third Street and Franklin Avenue, a bicyclist gave me the A-OK hand sign – as he rode past me.

On Greenwood Avenue, one SUV driver had his head turned completely around for a full stare at the NMG – while he was moving.

These reactions comprise only a sample of the attention I garnered during my 10-minute test drive. In fact, practically everyone I drove past paid some sort of attention to me and my ride, not unlike the attention one garners when wearing a sweater to a party that was a gift from the previous Christmas.

Darrin Isaak, a Bend resident who is the only registered NMG owner in Oregon, said he knows the feeling.

”It gets all kinds of attention,” said Isaak, who owns a freight brokerage firm. ”Some people say it’s ugly because it doesn’t fit the scope of what they think a car should look like. But most are in awe of the car. One guy pulled me over just to find out more.”

But he added nothing about his NMG, from the looks and the one-seat capacity to the cost, bothered him.

”Ninety percent of the driving I do is by myself,” Isaak said. ”And it’s especially useful in Bend, because of the horrible parking downtown. With the (NMG), it’s so much easier to zip in and out of traffic.”

The NMG did accelerate well during my test drive, easily matching the pace of the cars around me. But braking and steering were stiff and vague, and the lack of a center rearview mirror hindered vision significantly.

Noise levels inside the cabin also was high. It sounded remarkably like a school bus when I drove. Combined with the pointing and smiling I was getting, it felt like I was back in middle school.

The interior was stylish, with yellow metallic trim matched against dark gray vinyl, although the steering wheel felt like it was ripped from a driving game at a local arcade. The only other intrusion to an otherwise harmonic cabin is a massive red button, beside the driver’s left knee, that resembles something you press to launch a nuclear missiles.

Oh, and there’s a cigarette lighter, too. Kind of ironic in a zero-emission vehicle, I thought.

The Solar Store’s Ridden said the NMG can go from 0-60 mph in 12 seconds and has a range of 40 miles. He added that the NMG can be charged at any conventional 110-volt electric outlet (like the ones found in any living room or kitchen), and can be fully charged in about six hours.

Ridden said he originally visited the Ohio factory in March out of curiosity but decided he couldn’t pass up a chance to sell the NMGs after he drove one.

”Driving is the only way to experience it,” he said. ”Originally, I just wanted to see it. But after driving it, you get hooked.”

To be honest, I was, too. It was a zippy ride that was a lot of fun. But two things would preclude me from getting one.

First, the vehicle is classified as a motorcycle and therefore does not have air bags. While I have no doubt the NMG is safe, idling at an intersection behind a tractor trailer while a delivery truck rolled up behind me was disconcerting.

Second, it’s almost $25,000. Even with power windows, it’s steep.

But owner Isaak said the price isn’t the point.

”The only people that will buy it are those who care about the environment,” Isaak said. ”Am I going to make money from driv-ing (the NMG)? No. But the big thing is that I am not polluting the environment, and I am educating the people in Bend about alternative energy.”

ins and outs of the nmg

What: Myers Motors NMG (No More Gas)

Where: The Solar Store

Phone: 388-3637

Cost: $24,950

Standard features: Power windows, heater, CD player, vinyl seating, rear storage compartment

Acceleration: 0-60 mph in 12 seconds

Top speed: 70 mph

Range: 40 miles

Charge time: 6 hours using 110-volt outlet