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

[MetroMPG]

WHERE: San Diego, California.

I'd love to.

[Christopher Jordan]

Seems like similar test rides/tours as so many vehicles. A velomobile was shown here- which I missed- about 2007. Vanished along with most Zaps. These days: Elf, Elio, Chair-i-ot, Arcimoto - I miss them all.

[freebeard]

Came here to post this.

In my case, they'll be back in the Whittaker some time later this month.

[Christopher Jordan]

Flew through Santa Cruz, then posted on Facebook- kind of a "look what you missed!" post. Yesterday another Elf appeared, so the wheels are turning somewhere.

[Hersbird]

I've been trying to promote Arcimoto on my Facebook, probably shocks most of my crowd. The more I look at what they put into this thing, dual motors, torque vectoring, regeneration braking, the Li-on battery pack, welded tube frame, etc, the more $11,000 seems fair. I could maybe make something cheaper, but it wouldn't have 1/2 of that stuff.

[freebeard]

I totally agree, but tell me about the torque vectoring. Is that in lieu of or in addition to a differential?

Edit: Wait a minute. You guys find stuff out and post it on Facebook instead of a forum on the open Web, like Ecomodder?

[Hersbird]

https://youtu.be/HMGHG1szm3Q
He starts talking about it at 4:35 or so and mentions it just after 5:00. I think what they mean is they vary the speed of each wheel in a turn to help the turn, but maybe there is more to it.

Here is what Wiki says about the concept

"Torque Vectoring in Electric Vehicles
In an electric vehicle all-wheel drive can be implemented with two independent electric motors, one for each axle. In this case the torque vectoring between the front and rear axles is just a matter of electronically controlling the power distribution between the two motors, which can be done on a millisecond scale.

Torque vectoring is even more effective if it is actuated through two electric motor drives located on the same axle, as this configuration can be used for shaping the vehicle understeer characteristic and improving the transient response of the vehicle,. In case of electric vehicles with four electric motor drives, the same total wheel torque and yaw moment can be generated through an infinite number of wheel torque distributions. Energy efficiency can be used as a criterion for allocating the torques among the individual wheels,.

In 2012, Mercedes introduced the SLS AMG Electric Drive. Mercedes engineers were able to make the system work with a higher traction torque level on the outer wheels than on the inner wheels during cornering, in order to tighten the turning radius."

[freebeard]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

https://youtu.be/HMGHG1szm3Q
He starts talking about it at 4:35 or so and mentions it just after 5:00. I think what they mean is they vary the speed of each wheel in a turn to help the turn, but maybe there is more to it.

Very interesting. I watched the Titan Engineering video on the 'transaxle' again and they show a central plate with two distinctly different sides and two through-holes, but they don't show it populated with gears. Maybe there is no mechanical connection. My Lexus MGR has a tiny little diff because the gear is on the rim rather than face.

Anyway, what's all over the Interweb today is the Sherp ATV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTJUMOzx_zE

I've seen it four different places. It's basically four 5ft flotation tires with a 1.5 liter diesel and a 28mph top speed. I look at it and think of the Arcimoto battery box with a drivetrain at each end. Like a all-wheel drive Tesla.

I don't get how you can post a link to a Youtube video. I use the same url tag and vBulletin grabs it and makes it an embed. Anyway, it's a good video. I've watched 4 or 5 today.

[freebeard]

I was bicycling past Arcimoto today and and SRK8 was parked outside, so I stopped and got out a tape measure. It's 27" across the floorboard and base of the windshield and 21" across the tail. It looks like a complete boat tail would add about 2 feet of length. Tire size is 145/65 R15, the same as what I ran for years on the front of various VWs. Bolt circle is 4 on 100mm, so wheels from the Corrado or Sirroco would fit.

I talked to their Business Lead and Social Media person as well. The will be in Portland this weekend.

[NeilBlanchard]

Arcimoto has raised $12M from almost 800 $42k deposits:

Arcimoto EV pre-orders reach $12M as early adopters pony up $42K each (Video) - Portland Business Journal

Looks like they continue to make real progress!