Arcimoto

Mark Frohnmayer, founder and president of Arcimoto, sold his previous company GarageGames in 2007.

Arcimoto plans on expanding globally with 5 AMPs (including the original Oregon AMP) by 2026. The cumulative output of these factories would be 500,000 units per year. The batteries contained in those vehicles would equal 15 GWh and the projected revenue is estimated to be $6.8B.[3]

The company expects to break even once they hit a manufacturing capability of 3,000-5,000 of their higher margin units, the Deliverator and Rapid Responder. This is achievable using the current footprint of the AMP.[4]

As of August 2020, Arcimoto has increased their guidance to a 50,000 unit run rate by 2022, thanks in large part to their partnership with Munro & Associates. To produce more units they expect to expand the building.[5]

Either option the company focuses on, producing 3,000-5,000 higher margin units or scaling to 50,000 lower margin units, will result in them turning a profit within the next few years. The flexibility in their model allows the company to quickly adapt to customer needs and larger macro trends, such as the coronavirus pandemic.[6]

Since the introduction of horseless carriages, cars have had four wheels, the ability to hold multiple people, and carry multiple suitcases worth of cargo. Since then the typical car has grown in size and ability while the needs of the average driver have largely stayed the same. After 100 years of vehicle development and use, Arcimoto takes a step back to reassess what is needed from the average driver.

Performance[14]

Weight & Measures

The FUV currently weighs 1,300 pounds but the team is working towards a goal of 1,100 pounds. While working with various experts including Munro & Associates, they have already reduced the weight by roughly 50 pounds with generative manufacturing applied to the steering knuckles, accelerator pedal, and control arms.[15]

Features

Includes

Cooled seats are on the drawing board and will act as the primary cooling system for occupants.[16]

Additional Product Specs

All Arcimotos are using switch reluctance internal permanent magnet machined motors which are purchased off the shelf. Motor controllers and battery cells are also purchased off the shelf. However, the two stage reduction gearbox is being designed and manufactured in house. The vehicle also sports two single speed parallel gear trains in the same gearbox chassis with a 7:1 gear reduction.[17]

The Arcimoto Manufacturing Plant is Arcimoto’s sole production facility in 2020. The company began leasing the building October 1st, 2017.[18] Arcimoto held a grand opening ceremony on November 29th, 2017 where Arcimoto's President reflected on the progress made over eight generations of their vehicle platform.[19] Upon building out the interior with equipment capable of producing up to 5,000 units per year, they began production on September 19th, 2019.[20]

As the company refines their manufacturing processes and the product platform, the AMP will act as a template for future AMPs. Subsequent AMPs will support 50,000 to 100,000 units per year. Except for an east coast AMP in the US, new AMPs will be built as joint ventures. The company plans to have local production capacity in Europe, Southeast Asia, and another, undetermined location.[21]

Currently Arcimoto is utilizing Farasis Energy, a Chinese-based battery cell supplier. Farasis will add additional production capacity in the United States and Europe.25 This will enable lower costs for Arcimoto, reduced lead time, and decrease the likelihood of logistical delays concerning the physical distance and political climate between the US and China. As of May 2020 their supplier was conducting site selection in the US.[22]

The FUV platform uses pouch cells from Farasis Energy, which are the same as Zero Motorcycle’s battery. Arcimoto developed their own interconnect system for the batteries using a “novel way of crimping bus bars.” The cells combine to a total of 19.2kwh in the FUV battery. The battery is capable of accepting level 2 charging, however the company plans on making their fleet vehicles handle higher charging rates.[23]

Arcimoto has decided to forego developing autonomous driving in-house. Instead they have implemented the foundation for third party autonomous hardware and software that will integrate into the vehicle platform. For example, the steering is enabled for “drive by wire” so that software can control the direction of the wheels without the need for additional hardware.

Leading up to level 5 autonomous driving, the company anticipates a gradual increase of ADAS features.[24]

The company's first vehicle, the Fun Utility Vehicle, or FUV, [25] is a tandem two-seat three wheeled electric motorcycle with an EPA-rated range of 102 city miles per charge [26] The vehicle will have a fuel economy of 173.7 MPGe at city driving speeds.[27] The FUV is freeway capable, with a maximum speed of 75 mph (121 km/h). The company officially launched production and delivery of the retail Fun Utility Vehicle on September 19, 2019.[28]

The Rapid Responder variant is built for emergency services and security professionals. Due to its smaller footprint compared to traditional emergency vehicles, the Rapid Responder can arrive at the scene of an incident quicker and easier. The core of the Rapid Responder is an FUV with a roof rack available to store equipment and is outfitted with emergency flashing lights, including forward facing lights for increased visibility. The Rapid Responder also comes with a siren and 360-degree scene lights situated around the vehicle.[29]

Arcimoto is currently conducting pilot programs of the Rapid Responder with the City of Eugene, the Eugene Springfield Fire Department, and the city of Eastvale, California.

The Deliverator, as its name suggests, is built for businesses who offer local and last-mile delivery to their customers. It differs from the other two models by the largest margin as this variant offers only one seat. The back seat is replaced by an extra-large cargo area that is accessible by a door on the right side (when seated in the vehicle). With a carrying capacity of over 350 pounds and over 15+ cubic feet of storage, the Deliverator enables deliveries of parcels.(33) (34)

Arcimoto is currently conducting pilot programs with companies and organizations around the US. The production version of the Deliverator will be ready by the end of 2020. Production is expected to ramp up to volume production during 2021.

The Cameo is the fourth variant of the Arcimoto platform that is specifically designed for filming applications. The passenger seat and storage compartment is replaced with a rear-facing seat. This configuration provides free range of motion for a camera person to film various activities for movies, tv shows, and more.(35)

The Cameo variant lays the groundwork for the fifth variant, a flat-bed pickup serving the general utility market.(36)