Arcimoto, the real thing? ($12k tandem EV trike, 70/130 mi. range)

[Piotrsko]

Ten a month, you could almost make them out of hand layed fiberglass on a wooden pattern buck and vacuum cure them at ambient just like they make boat hulls.

Or a chopper gun, or even use that fancy vacuum form. Don't need class A tooling for low volume.

[redpoint5]

A chopped fiberglass door would be fine.

[freebeard]

Don't need class A tooling for low volume.

What are all y'all on about? Fiberglass and doped fabric will never get you out of low volume. Arcimoto aspire to 50K/year out of this first factory.

I may be talking out of my b*tt, but the problem isn't makiing the door, they have robots to do that. The problem is hanging the door on the tubular upper frame. Look at JSH's picture. The section abaft the rear door handle.

I predict that the Platform 1.x design will have an upper frame in cast aluminum to provide a proper door jamb.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by freebeard

What are all y'all on about? Fiberglass and doped fabric will never get you out of low volume. Arcimoto aspire to 50K/year out of this first factory.

I may be talking out of my b*tt, but the problem isn't makiing the door, they have robots to do that. The problem is hanging the door on the tubular upper frame. Look at JSH's picture. The section abaft the rear door handle.

I predict that the Platform 1.x design will have an upper frame in cast aluminum to provide a proper door jamb.

Companies have been hanging doors on tube frame UTVs for decades. If Arcimoto didn't plan for a way to mount their door they are incompetent.

Robots are great but you have to tell the robots what to do and tweak the tooling to get it right. The development and set-up is the hard part not cranking out parts.

Arcimoto may have sold the idea of 50K a year to raise money but then there is reality. They make a niche $18k toy. History is littered with trikes that were supposed to be cheaper than cars and become massively popular. People looking for a cheap ride just buy a used car.

[redpoint5]

Just realized this thread goes back to 2015... and I wasn't always so cynical about the company.

In 2017 I figured it was any day that freebeard would get his.

What's the current bottleneck? Something to do with doors?

I didn't think the thing needed doors. Guess people don't want their cell phone to go flying out when they make a turn.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Just realized this thread goes back to 2015... and I wasn't always so cynical about the company.

In 2017 I figured it was any day that freebeard would get his.

What's the current bottleneck? Something to do with doors?

I didn't think the thing needed doors. Guess people don't want their cell phone to go flying out when they make a turn.

I would guess the typical start-up distraction and lack of management. Most idea people don't have the skills or temperament to manage day to day operations but they also don't trust someone else to do it. It will be interesting to see how things change now that the founder was removed as CEO.

Arcimoto still doesn't have their 3-wheeler in volume production but are already distracted with buying tilting motor works and a 3-wheeled leaning e-bike.

[freebeard]

In 2017 I figured it was any day that freebeard would get his.

What's the current bottleneck?

The down payment.

I'm speculating about the doors. And the governmental regulations they would have to surmount for highway certification. I do know they say the reason the Eagle door (my favorite) didn't fly () was the weight.

I wanted to know if they use or consider friction drilling, but they have no time for some of my questions.

Friction drilling
Friction drilling is a method of making holes in metal in which the material is pushed out of the way with the aid of heat from friction. The process is also called thermal drilling, flow drilling, form drilling, or friction stir drilling. Friction drilling is commonly used on bicycle frames, heat exchangers, and to create holes for mounting bearings.
More at Wikipedia

I'm still waiting to hear about a trailer hitch for my Westfalia.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by freebeard

The down payment.

I'm speculating about the doors. And the governmental regulations they would have to surmount for highway certification. I do know they say the reason the Eagle door (my favorite) didn't fly () was the weight.

The Arcimoto is motorcycle - there are no government regulations for doors. Meet emissions, noise, and some rules for minimum equipment and they are good.

[Piotrsko]

Originally Posted by freebeard

What are all y'all on about? Fiberglass and doped fabric will never get you out of low volume. Arcimoto aspire to 50K/year out of this first factory.

I may be talking out of my b*tt, but the problem isn't makiing the door, they have robots to do that. The problem is hanging the door on the tubular upper frame. Look at JSH's picture. The section abaft the rear door handle.

I predict that the Platform 1.x design will have an upper frame in cast aluminum to provide a proper door jamb.

The large expensive aluminum vacuum forming blocks are class A tools. Do your you tube searching to see differences in classes, including expense.

Like JSH said, hanging stuff on tubes is old news, piper aircraft was doing that back in the '40s. Pretty sure CNC machining out of block and plate is cheaper and faster than cast. If you do cast it, still going to machine portions of it especially if you do the cheap and dirty sand casting.

Remember, they only made a couple ten thousand ty181 a year

[freebeard]

"Still a man hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest" The Boxer -- Paul Simon

I predict that the Platform 1.x design will have an upper frame in cast aluminum to provide a proper door jamb.

Maybe I'm just particualrly sensitive to wind noise.