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Wade Thiel·
Motorcycle News
··4 Comments·2 min read

Arcimoto Snags $4.5 Million Investment for Electric Trike Production

Arcimoto FUV trike
Image from Arcimoto

You May See Some of These Ugly Trikes on the Road Soon

Arcimoto has an electric trike it thinks will be the future of transportation. The company just received $4.5 million to make its vision a reality. Arcimoto calls its fully electric trike a Fun Utility Vehicle (FUV), and it will start ramping up production in 2019.

The FUV is like a mashup of a car and trike. In the eyes of the law, it falls in with motorcycles. With that said, when Arcimoto first started out, the company wanted to build a three-wheeled car with a steering wheel. The final design has handlebars and motorcycle-like controls.

Arcimoto’s FUV has been a long time coming. It’s something that has popped up again and again in automotive and motorcycle news. Because it blends the lines between car and motorcycle, people don’t always seem to know how to take it.

That hasn’t stopped people from ordering these ugly things, though. According to RideApart, the company has 3,250 preorders. The new round of funding the company received from FOD Capital, LLC, will help it fulfill those orders and kick its production into high gear.

What Can It Do?

Arcimoto FUV Trike
Image from Arcimoto

The Arcimoto is no electric trike pipe dream. It was founded in 2007. The vehicle seems to have been well-developed. It has a top speed of 80 mph and a range of 70 to 130 miles depending on the battery pack you choose. It has a charge time of 3.5 to 8 hours depending on the battery and charging station.

For power, the trike uses two 25 kW electric motors that make 67 hp. Those electric motors are good enough for a 0-60 mph time of 7.5 seconds. It comes with regenerative braking, two seats, forward and reverse gearing, and some nice amenities like heated handgrips and a full HVAC system should you choose to equip it.

The open-air design of the Arcimoto FUV is unique. The company sells soft and hard doors to close you off from the elements should you want that.

Arcimoto FUV trike
Image from Arcimoto

As interesting as the vehicle is, I don’t see this taking off like Arcimoto hopes. The vehicle’s starting price is $11,900. With options, that price would only go up. According to the company, it expects the average price with add-ons to be around $15,000. That’s a lot of money.

Arcimoto seems to see this as an alternative to a car or motorcycle. You can buy a really nice motorcycle for less than $11,900 and an awesome one for around $15,000.

You can also buy a decent car for that price. Heck, a brand spanking new Nissan Versa only costs a little over $12,000. If you have $15,000 to spend, your options increase significantly. I think the Arcimoto FUV is a novel idea and likely well-executed from a design and engineering standpoint, but for the money, I’d rather buy something else.

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Wade Thiel
Wade Thiel divides his time between motorcycles, cars, and the outdoors. He lives in Indianapolis, Indiana, and tries not to let the cold winter months get him down too much.
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4 Comments

  1. I think the author never heard of “total cost of ownership” when speaking about the money. The cost per mile will be minuscule in this little contraption in comparision with traditional ICE car. Not to mention service costs.

    1. This is a great point and something I didn’t address in the article. It would definitely be much less expensive to operate. Appreciate you bringing it up. I’ll keep this in mind for future articles.

  2. I can’t understand how anyone could think this was ugly, but each to their own I guess. Some other points:

    1. I would NEVER ride a motorcycle, litterally never. But I can’t wait to try one of these out. I suspect there are others like me who fall into that bracket.

    2. Comparing it to cars you can get for $15k isn’t that useful IMO because there isn’t much available in terms of electric cars. The running costs of the FUV are going to be much smaller than even a small car.

    1. Hi Danny,

      Appreciate the comment. If you like the way the Arcimoto FUV looks, then great! It doesn’t appeal to me.

      Your first point is valid, but this being a motorcycle website, I assume there are plenty of readers out there who would agree with me and rather spend money on a bike.

      Your second point is a great one. It may be a little unfair to compare the FUV to a car. That being said, I’d still rather own a cheap car like a Nissan Versa than the three-wheeled electric vehicle like the FUV. Just seems so much more practical for everyday use for about the same buying price. The FUV would be much cheaper to operate, though, especially in the long term. You’ll get no argument from me there.

      -Wade

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