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.
Very interested to see the addition of the Tilting Motor Works Lean Mean Machine addition to the model line up. It will feel like a real deal motorcycle riding experience and 2X the fun.
I'm one of the "handful with soft half doors" - and it's great in all but the heaviest of "blowing rain" condition. In even moderate rain, as long as you're moving forward, aerodynamics keeps the rain off you, and the half doors keep other-vehicle-splash off you. It's really only if there's a severe crosswind, or when stopped, that rain enters the cabin. (In the recent picture attached below, you can see some "dried mud" on the back of the front door - showing they blocked road spray.) The doors are easy on/off, just rotate open to a certain point, then lift up, then rotate a bit more, then lift all the way off. I am waiting for full hard-side doors, too, to make it an "all weather" commuter. (Not to mention I was planning on getting a custom paint job that needs an important part of it on the rear door that just doesn't work with the black-ripstop-nylon material the current half doors are made of.) Last winter (pre-pandemic-work-from-home) I did commute in it even in sleet/freezing rain/sub-freezing. The heated seats and handlebar grips work great, just need to wear decent pants for the tops of the legs and a hat. The only in-cabin heat (in the present version) is a windshield defroster (resistive heating - basically a hair dryer pointing at the windshield,) and it is effective. It defrosts/defogs quickly, and you even feel the warm air blowing on your face (as it blows up and deflects back at you.) But in an EV so small and efficient already, I have to imagine that eats up a lot of battery, so I used it sparingly (only when the windshield actually needed defogging.) The *ONLY* weather-related downside is that the battery isn't heated, so if you are parked outside, and it drops enough below freezing, it won't charge. I have a garage now, so it isn't a problem now, but last winter it did have me skip driving it one day when it didn't charge at all overnight. They are working on a battery heater system for colder climates.
CharonPDX, Nice ride! I ordered Evergreen Edition #19 that included hard half doors back in March 2019. Still waiting on what are currently referred to as ‘back ordered doors’. Reality is, I’m waiting on a photo of the top secret hard half doors M.F. stated were just recently certified. My interest in the SRK/FUV over the past 12 years was specific to full enclosure. I compromised on partial enclosure with hard half doors that never existed. The good news is it was only doors.
