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

[freebeard]

So I went on a Arcimoto Forum reliability run. Once again it's taking me places I haven't been in decades -- Armitage Park and Mohawk, OR.

Learned a few things: there exists a Ceramic brake pad upgrade, many FUV drivers don't know driving without brakes (no regen), and saw a dashcam install.

The end point of the tour was the official FUV mechanic's shop in the hills around Mohawk. He was just back from weeks on the road servicing FUV in Florida and Hawaii. They're adding new upgrades -- an external 12V switch for storage, relay on the water pump and momentary wipers.

I saw an FUV breakdown yard with one of the Faction self-driving delivery vans.

ABS body panels with rattle can flat paint on them. So should I stick with black on black or something more colorful?

[freebeard]

I need to break out another thread on QI-0. Meanwhile...



The panoramic mirror is in place. The bracket started as a piece of 2" aluminum angle. I even found 1/4" zinc plated shoulder bolts to match the 3/8" bolt heads that hold everything together. It's high enough to see over the top of my head or hat and angled for traffic. I may make a different bracket if I find a 4" angle, to lower it about an inch.

I now know things and I'm not under NDA, but for now I'll just say we shall see what shall be. Personally, I think a gen 2 FUV should have die cast upper frame halves and Yamaha motors.

[Logic]

Black cars look great.
Problem is other drivers do not 'look so great' and black is the most 'invisible' colour.
Apparently yellow is most visible and least crashed into.
White is a close 2nd IIRC.

So this thing does regen, but many drivers of it do not use regen..?
If I understood right; whyTF not!??

[Logic]

Black cars look great.
Problem is other drivers do not 'look so great' and black is the most 'invisible' colour.
Apparently yellow is most visible and least crashed into.
White is a close 2nd IIRC.

So this thing does regen, but many drivers of it do not use regen..?
If I understood right; whyTF not!??

[freebeard]

So this thing does regen, but many drivers of it do not use regen..?
If I understood right; whyTF not!??

They haven't experienced the benign influence of the Ecomodder forum. Most drivers in these parts drive a big pickup at a red light and slam on the brakes at the last second. Old habits die hard.

Two of eight on the reliability run had yellow and half doors. One sort of polka dotty. I asked my son his favorite color and he said it used to be red but now it's purple. His favorite car color? Silver, red or black. The only red I like is Koral Rot.

I'm leaning toward black with a shark mouth and pinstriping on the cargo pod door. And a painted wood grain dash board.

The Arcimoto engineer was in favor of trailer towing.

[Logic]

Originally Posted by freebeard

They haven't experienced the benign influence of the Ecomodder forum. Most drivers in these parts drive a big pickup at a red light and slam on the brakes at the last second. Old habits die hard.

Two of eight on the reliability run had yellow and half doors. One sort of polka dotty. I asked my son his favorite color and he said it used to be red but now it's purple. His favorite car color? Silver, red or black. The only red I like is Koral Rot.

I'm leaning toward black with a shark mouth and pinstriping on the cargo pod door. And a painted wood grain dash board.

Ah... so regen is a separate control?
Not built into the accelerator or brake? Strange way to do it...

Originally Posted by freebeard

The Arcimoto engineer was in favor of trailer towing.

If you are referring to the powered trailer for long range thing we discussed, we can get back to that now I'm reminded.

[freebeard]

The Arcimoto engineer was in favor of trailer towing.

I misspoke. The Arcimoto engineer was not in favor of trailer towing. I asked about trailer pushing, but the conversation went elsewhere.

It reminds me of tiller steering, with a twist throttle and regen paddle on the right. Foot pedal hydraulic brake and electric parking brake engagement. You only need the left handle for the turn signal and imminent danger.

[freebeard]

Hypermiling the FUV. I need to do some ABA testing.

My current entertainment is pulse and glide. The FUV coasts really well (compared) so on Main Street I've been pulse-and-gliding in the range 46>39>45>39 MPH. A much tighter range than the ICEs wanted, and maintaining position in traffic is hardly affected.

What's needed is a stretch of road with no cross traffic, drive until 1-2% depleted, then turn around and hypermile back to see if it goes any further. Two or more laps in opposing direction to seek a mean/mode/average.

The other thing is coasting up to stop lights and applying the hydraulic brake to hold position, seeing how far away the last regen can be.

[freebeard]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I was thinking it needed blue and red strobing lights on top and maybe a PIT bumper.

I saw one today at the factory. A 'hairpin buggy bumper' in Baja terms; apparently it was sourced from a UTV. It also had flush front turn signals (from a 2011 Prius?) instead of the 1930s style chrome stalks. The ABS was molded for the Prius lights, I suspect the stock (stalk) ones were a legal mandate. That goes on the bottom of the list.

Another thing is instead of fender skirts, folding panniers. I've seen fold down racks and expanding crates for bicycles. An expanding crate could have a solid outer panel and look like a skirt until it opens.

[redpoint5]

How about scythed wheels to keep the aggressive folks away?