Quantcast

the alternative personal transportation thread

Toshi

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,528
7,855
Arcimoto Pulse EV. made by MIT-trained hippies in Eugene.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/feature-arcimoto-pulse-ev-launch/





The car itself is a single-seat, three-wheeled, 96-volt electric vehicle with a starting price of “under $20,000.” Although the issue was not brought up during the launch speeches, Stafl confirmed afterwords that, for crash test and other regulatory purposes, the Pulse is a motorcycle, not a car. I couldn’t help but wonder if the word “motorcycle” didn’t do as well in marketing clinics as “the environment.” Arcimoto claims the Pulse will go 50 miles on a charge and hit 55 mph, although they were clear that it wasn’t designed for inter-city driving. 100 amp/hours of current is available from a liquid electrolyte-free lead-acid battery, reportedly sourced from an M1A1 tank. The $1,600 battery will be upgradeable in the future, and currently takes 6-8 hours to fully charge. Production of 300 Pulses is planned for the first year, and though Arcimoto is taking deposits now it won’t be offering test drives to the public until next year
Click to expand...
another "i'll believe it when it's actually in production"-mobile.
 
Last edited:
Toshi

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,528
7,855
[content migrated over from my ride pics thread]

toyota has their weird-ass Winglet segway imitator, and now honda seeks to one-up even toyota with their U3-X. yeah, not a great name.

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/24/tokyo-preview-honda-unveils-u3-x-personal-mobility-device/



PRESS RELEASE

Honda Develops Revolutionary New Personal Mobility Device to Work in Harmony with People

World's first driving system capable of 360 degree movement

Pursuing the concept of "harmony with people" Honda has developed a new personal mobility technology and unveiled U3-X, a compact experimental device to provide free movement in all directions just like human walking - forward, backward, side-to-side, and diagonally. Honda will continue research and development of the device including experiments in the real-world environment to verify the practicality of the device.

This new personal mobility device makes it possible to adjust speed, move, turn and stop in all directions when the rider leans their upper body to shift their body weight. This was achieved through application of advanced technologies including Honda's balance control technology, which was developed through ASIMO (Honda's bipedal humanoid robot) robotics research, and the world's first* omni-directional driving wheel system (Honda Omni Traction Drive System, or HOT Drive System), which enables movement in all directions, not only forward and backward, but also directly to the right and left and diagonally. In addition, the compact, one-wheel-drive personal mobility device was designed to be user friendly and unimposing to people around it. This is achieved by making it easy for the rider to reach the ground from the footrest and by seating the rider at roughly the same eye level as a person standing.

Honda is planning to showcase the U3-X at the 41st Tokyo Motor Show 2009 (sponsored by JAMA) which will begin on 24th October 2009 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan.

Honda has been conducting robotics research since 1986 at the Honda R&D Co., Ltd. Fundamental Technology Research Center in Wako, Saitama, Japan, striving to develop the next-generation mobility products that bring joy to our customers. These research projects includes ASIMO, walking assist devices and U3-X.
Click to expand...
yeah, ONE WHEEL. that has little wheel-lets in its rim that let it go straight sideways. kind of cool tech in its own right but i'm still scratching my head over the application for it.
 
Toshi

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,528
7,855
big news roundup:

1) Tesla plans a bunch of Model S variants:

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/tesla-plans-full-range-of-model-s-based-vehicles/

Diarmuid O’Connell said:
The Model S platform will also be used for derivatives including a minivan, cross-over utility vehicle and a utility van for fleets and other industrial or civic uses
Click to expand...
2) Mitsubishi has been flexing its e-muscles by showing two MiEV family vehicles at the Tokyo Auto Show. the first is a tiny cargo wagon variant of the i-MiEV (full specs at link):

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/30/tokyo-preview-mitsubishi-i-miev-cargo-concept-ready-to-move-you/



the second is a plug-in hybrid Volt-fighter, the PX-MiEV. 30 miles all-electric range, selectable fwd or awd, torque vectoring to all wheels, and series or parallel hybrid operation. hot damn… if only something like this came to production…



3) the Cobalt XFE (25/37 mpg) is reviewed by TTAC. sounds like a rental car to me, frankly, and i don't see someone would choose one over a Fit at its price point.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/review-chevrolet-cobalt-xfe/

4) Honda shows off its EV-N concept, harking back to the N360.

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/30/tokyo-preview-honda-ev-n-concept-is-retro-adorable-has-unicycl/

its door contains one of those unicycle things that i posted about a few days ago, the UX-3! specs are light otherwise.









5) Honda also demonstrates its CR-V concept, supposedly near production intent.

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/30/tokyo-preview-near-production-honda-cr-z-concept-unveiled/

1.5 liter 4-banger, Integrated Motor Assist hybrid tech, and a 6-speed manual?! sounds intriguing to me, and i eagerly await the production version.







too bad about the ugly dashboard. WTF is honda thinking these days… our Fit has a nice, plain layout but the Civic, Insight, and now this have a horrid, busy layout imo.
 
Toshi

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,528
7,855
auto news: the 2010 Prius is the top-selling car in Japan for five months running. sweet. (source)



with regard to the above picture it's too bad that the new Prius looks odd without its optional 17" wheels, as 15" tires are cheaper and offer better ride quality to boot. sharper steering response is kind of an afterthought in a vehicle like the Prius imo.

next up we have two weird and wooly concepts from Suzuki that show off their fuel cell technology.

the first of the Suzukis is a car, a SX4-FCV to be specific. it has a tank that holds hydrogen at 10,000 psi and a fuel cell that converts that hydrogen to electricity at 80 kW. throw a capacitor in series and the electricity makes its way to a 68 kW electric motor.



the second of the Suzukis is a maxi-scooter, the Burgman Fuel Cell Vehicle. it has a 70 MPa hydrogen tank (~10,000 psi, same as the car), a fuel cell from Intelligent Energy of unspecified power output, and an equally ill defined electric motor.

 
Toshi

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,528
7,855


moving from far-off concepts to what's on the road now Kawasaki has made the unusual step of offering on the fly map switching to a Fuel Economy Assistance mode on their huge Concours 14 touring-with-a-tiny-bit-of-sport bike. how does it work?

New Fuel Economy Assistance Mode

Activating fuel economy assistance mode changes the engine to a leaner map which prioritizes fuel economy, for as much as a 25 percent MPG boost.
Fuel economy assistance works in any gear, as long as rpm is below 6000, throttle opening less than 30 percent and speed less than 80 mph.
Click to expand...
also theoretically aiding fuel economy are a 70 mm higher electrically adjustable windscreen and a redesigned fairing. on the other hand, you're starting out with a 650 lb 1400 cc platform in the first place, possibly less than ideal for fuel economy. i welcome the option in any case.

(source)
 
Toshi

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,528
7,855
finally, both BMW and Nissan have weird-ass leaning-vehicles-that-aren't-quite-cars-or-scooters for public perusal if not purchase:



first we have the resurrection of the BMW C1 as the C1-E Concept. the original C1 had a 125 cc 4-stroke gas mill under its "hood", as it were, but this one borrows a drivetrain from the now-bankrupt scooter company Vectrix and adds a lithium battery for better performance than the Vectrix's underwhelming NiMH pack.

just as on the first C1, which actually saw limited production and public sales in Europe, we have a tall windscreen, a roof, crash bars, and a harness for the driver. a windshield wiper is conspicuous in its absence and the roof doesn't extend back over the driver, but those things could be remedied easily in a production version. (source)

finally we have Nissan's weird-ass Land Glider. (source)






specs are light but a 100 mi+ range is claimed from its electric powertrain, and the steering is reputed to be steer by wire. oh yeah, and it leans. check ou the video inlined above or in larger form here:


either that's really good CGI or this thing exists. hot damn.
 
Last edited:
valve bouncer

valve bouncer

Master Dildoist
Feb 11, 2002
7,843
114
Japan
Toshi said:
auto news: the 2010 Prius is the top-selling car in Japan for five months running. sweet. (source)
Click to expand...
People are getting them and putting them straight on auctions sites and getting way over the odds for them apparently. Even old model Prius' are going for more than when they were new. The waiting list for an Insight is a much more realistic 3 months.
 
Toshi

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,528
7,855
in an update to a story from way back when, Green Vehicles is claiming that they've shipped the first 20 early-production units of their TRIAC three wheeled EV trike/car to early adopters. Autobloggreen got to ride along in it, and their enthusiasm was tempered by what sounds like lots of vibration and a weird dash layout. it's nice that the company is apparently following through on its promises, at least, even if a year late.

http://green.autoblog.com/2009/10/07/altcar-2009-riding-in-green-vehicles-triac-a-prototype-that-i/

the catch: it's $25k. for that money one could get a nicely equipped Prius, a car that has no such teething problems... i'll be interested to see how the market shakes out once the Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt, Mitsubishi iMiEV, and the Aptera 2e hit the road.

 
jimmydean

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
41,417
13,541
Portland, OR
Speaking of alt.transportation, I have been in Ahsland for 2 months now and FINALLY saw 2 Brammo Enertia bikes yesterday. It was 5:30, I bet they were employees leaving work.

I still want to ride one, just to see. I have to say they look pretty cool going down the road and seemed to be quicker than a Vespa.
 
Toshi

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,528
7,855
here's a concept i'd be interested in:

Subaru Hybrid Tourer concept

2.0 liter direct injected (on a subaru!) boxer-4 with Toyota-sourced Hybrid Synergy Drive underpinnings and a lithium-ion battery pack to boot. all that plus it's less ugly than most of Subaru's current lineup, surely faint praise but praise nonetheless :rofl:







even without all the show car glitz i'd be pleased to see a hybrid, direct injected Subaru make its way into the lineup.
 
IH8Rice

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4DUuYL77mQE&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4DUuYL77mQE&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="295" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

Detroit to Washington DC on a electric motorcycle...42miles at a time
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/16/video-brammo-rides-detroit-to-washington-40-miles-at-a-time/
 
Toshi

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,528
7,855
looking at the Brammo video above jessica noted that the footpegs are placed abnormally low on the Enertia. i'm inclined to agree with her. i guess they're going for comfort over cornering clearance. the other interesting bits are that the range is 42 miles and that the speed has increased from the proto's 52 mph up to above 60 mph on the production units.
 
IH8Rice

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
Toshi said:
the other interesting bits are that the range is 42 miles and that the speed has increased from the proto's 52 mph up to above 60 mph on the production units.
Click to expand...
im sure it has to do with the electronics that they were initially using on the proto. and im sure with some tweaking they could get more out of the batteries
 
Toshi

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,528
7,855
jimmydean said:
I didn't think 4 wheels would fly? I forget why that is exactly, maybe they get around it because it leans vs. tips?
Click to expand...
i think it's because it's neither fish nor fowl. iirc it's not a motorcycle by definition once it has 4 wheels (3 does fly, as witnessed by my MP3 and by sundry HD and Gold Wing trikes out there), but such a beast clearly doesn't meet any sort of car regulations.

what i'm curious about is how the tilting mechanism would work. if you're not forced to balance at low speed how is the proper amount of tilt determined? else, if you can tip off of it at a stop as on my MP3 when unlocked/in riding mode then what's the benefit of two rear wheels? most braking is done at the front anyway...
 
N

nnamssorxela

Chimp
Oct 19, 2009
28
0
My alternative to a gas guzzling SUV is my supermoto. It's the most fun on 2 wheels, blazing quick, and sips fuel at the same time.
 
jimmydean

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
41,417
13,541
Portland, OR
I remember a few years back when Yamaha first released the Raptor sport quad. A guy decided he was going to ride one cross country and had to jump through a ton of hoops to get it legal. The first step was to remove the rear and install a single wheel like the Spyder configuration (reverse trike?)

Found it: Smokey And The Raptor

Once he got it to pass California code, it was applicable everywhere for passing through.
 
syadasti

syadasti

i heart mac
Apr 15, 2002
12,690
290
VT
Toshi said:
unless it's an unmodified Euro 3-compliant bike (er, powered two-or-three wheeler) like mine. :D
Click to expand...
In most cases only the very new bikes come on par while the slightly older ones are worse than an H2. But its not always true for all brands just like with some autos shipped to countries without strict emissions standards, they leave the controls off to save money.

But it is good things are finally in transition in small ICE.
 
Last edited:
Toshi

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,528
7,855
deliberately not inlined since you have to watch it in HD to make the text legible:

, both from the Mainstream (4 wheels, 4 seats, basically) and Alternative categories.

some wild and wacky stuff is being proposed! i hope that some of the ideas actually see the light of day versus the current status of many of these ideas as being marooned on some dude's CAD station.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom