Voyager, I’m a Tesla Model Y Fan. The SUV makes for the most functional in the model lineup. The key to a successful model lineup is determined by market demographics and demand. The 0ne (SOLO), two (FUV), or three ( Smart for Three) seater three wheelers are supplements to the ‘family car’. Beyond the current production model FUV, the Deliverator, Rapid Responder, Roadster, and the most recent Lean Mean Machine are models currently in development, that are all built on the same three wheeler EV platform.
RickB, you have ALWAYs good points you're making. Broke it down for you: More than 50% of American households own two or more cars. Yours being one of them. No need to have two SUVs. Global branding I consider a must from the onset. I realize where Arcimoto is coming from, but the numbers simply don't add up as far as economy of scale concerned. You need to, to avoid the painstakingly slow process of engineering, pitching for investors, going back to the drawing table, improve a bit, etc. Only then you skip the welded frame stage. Hope I can interest my hopefully future partners for this. There are a couple of strategies to do this. Important is that the whole automotive sector has been shaken up quite a bit over the last couple of years. OEMs and new players start to realize that there is WAY more to mobility than making and selling the familiar car. That is why we have an UBER and Waymo for instance... For a long time I had been using the working title 'New iSetta', but that only sounded familiar to older people. So, I have been calling it Smart ForThree since a couple of years. You can keep vehicle width in check by not having two occupants sit next to each other, shoulder to shoulder.
Yup... the 'driver' is seated curbside, for much better view of vulnerable road users. No passenger blocking the driver's side view too. 'Sleek' also makes for a better match for self-driving tech. The smaller / sleeker the car: 1. the more margin there is to maneuver and evade other road users 2. the more effectively the AV technology can scan, sensor and image the car’s vicinity 3. the better the all around view of the person behind the controls (in case manual input is needed or preferred ‘recreationally’). I notified the NHTSA about this. What you basically get, is what I call a 'helmet-on-wheels' effect. No blind spots because of rounded and sloped contours.
Voyager, My wife and I have been a one car family for 8 years. We bit the bullet and purchased what will likely be our last new SUV (EV) in July 2020 and there yet has been anybody in the backseat and we drive under 5K miles per year. Our FUV will be a fun supplement to our SUV as soon as doors are available. Heck, I likely would have purchased my Signature Series SOLO #120 reservation 3 years ago (only after a test drive) if it wouldn’t have been for the typical delay, after delay, after delay of the new startup wannabe in the process of getting to production.