ARC
With Jaguar Land Rover money behind it, this new electric bike is serious. The only problem is the price
It’s easy to dismiss the Arc as another ridiculously overpriced electric pipedream. I mean, £90,000? A helmet with a head-up display (HUD) and a haptic feedback jacket that taps you on the shoulder when there’s a car behind you? Really? But there is substance here. The project was originally conceived within Jaguar Land Rover’s innovation laboratory, and JLR retain an interest, and have provided some of the finance needed to push the project forward. Arc claim that their first customers will receive their bikes in 2020. The other claims are impressive too: 220kg; 140bhp (103kw); 120mph; 120 mile range; 30 minute rapid recharge. All of which addresses most people’s concerns about electric bikes. Well, all except the price of entry. And the bike is brimming with innovation. The HUD helmet comes with the bike so you can see key info without looking down at the clocks, and you also get the haptic jacket that buzzes when there’s a car in your blindspot. The bike itself has hub-centre steering with carbon fibre swingarms front and rear, carbon BST wheels and the whole lot is held together by a carbon monocoque frame that’s as stiff as a Motogp bike’s. And it’s 45kg lighter than its closest rival, the Energica Esseesse9. The boss and main shareholder is Mark Truman: ‘We’re taking deposits now and intend to deliver to customers in 2020. The bikes have already been tested at Bruntingthorpe. We’ve got enough money – JLR owns some of the business and we have venture capital involved too. We have a multi year plan. ‘It’s made in Coventry and we have 12 people in the design office. Some are JLR people, but some are ex-ducati, Triumph and KTM. We expect to be 60-strong by the end of 2020.’