San Ramon owner's three-wheeled electric vehicle a fun ride
My column is usually about classic vehicles, but this issue's column isn't. In fact, it's not even about a car, truck or SUV but rather an “FUV” (Fun Utility Vehicle).
It's hard not to be excited about this new form of personal transportation. The founder of the company that makes it, Mark Frohnmayer, graduated from UC Berkeley in 1996 with degrees in electrical engineering and computer science. Arcimoto was founded in November 2007 and became a public company 10 years later on the NASDAQ with the symbol FUV.
The two passenger, three-wheel FUV is street-legal, U.S. Transportation Departmentapproved but registered in California and other states as a motorcycle. However, no motorcycle driver's license is required to operate the vehicle, nor do you need to wear a helmet. According to company information, this vehicle has 77 horsepower, can go from zero to 60 mph in 7.5 seconds and has a battery range of 100 city miles (which means driving 55 mph). If driving at 70 mph, the range drops to 32 miles.
The passenger sits behind the driver, and both individuals have two crisscross seat belts for safety. For cooler weather, the seat cushions are heated. To steer the vehicles, motorcycle-type handlebars are used.
There is no transmission to shift — just a switch to go forward or in reverse. It has hydraulic with regenerative-assist brakes with a small
brake pedal on the floor. The accelerator is the right-hand side of the handlebar, just like a motorcycle, and by twisting that grip, which can be heated, off you go. The most surprising statistic to me was that the shipping weight of the FUV is only 300 pounds and can carry up to 1,500 pounds.
Just as Henry Ford did with the Model A in the 1930s, Arcimoto has developed other models using the same platform as the FUV. The Rapid Responder, an emergency vehicle with a roof rack
for storing emergency equipment, is one of the other models. The Deliverator, for local businesses with the back seat replaced for extra cargo area, is another one. Then there is the Roadster, which has no roof or roll cage. For Hollywood, there is the Cameo, designed for filming with the rear seat facing backward for camera shooting, and finally, there is a flatbed version for an efficient way to move small parts and equipment.
Scott Holm is the very proud owner of this issue's
three-wheel 2020 Arcimoto FUV model, which is 100% electric. He loves his FUV, which is his daily driver. He lives in San Ramon and works in Walnut Creek so unless there's a driving rain storm, which we haven't seen much of lately, Holm drives it five days a week to work.
Purchased in September 2019, his FUV was one of the very first produced from Arcimoto's factory in Eugene, Oregon, and as of this writing, he has driven it more than 14,000 miles.
It has a digital speedometer with a gauge showing how much battery life is available. It has a trunk suitable for ample groceries, and side doors are available from the factory. Holm reports that this environmentally friendly vehicle gets the equivalent of 172 mpg. He stays off freeways for obvious reasons but on one occasion got the vehicle up to 72 mph, close to the company's claimed top speed of 75 mph.
According to Arcimoto's literature, this FUV's starting price is $17,900, but delivery is extra. There are no dealers, and all sales are made online. Arcimoto is marketed in only five Western states plus Florida and Hawaii. In some states, there are locations where one can rent an FUV for a short period of time. Holm said his FUV is really something between a car and a motorcycle.
I was hoping I would get a ride, and I did. I buckled up with the seat belts provided and sat in the very comfortable back seat. Holm accelerated at a higher speed than I expected as I was thinking this would be a much slower ride like a golf cart, but no. He took me on a fairly long ride and quizzed me about any motorcycle experience I had. I evidently passed that test, as he offered to let me drive his FUV. Turning required more effort than turning on a motorcycle but was not difficult.
It was great fun, and I could visualize one of these vehicles in my garage. However, so far, it's been kind of a rough road for the company, which has been unable to turn a profit so far. I'm an automotive history buff, and we've had more than 2,600 different automakers in this country. I wonder if we're repeating the major transition of the horse and buggy to the internal combustion engine in the 1900s with the transition of the internal combustion engine cars to all-electric vehicles.