ALAMEDA, California – If you’re anything like me, you value your
life. Which means you’ve probably avoided motorcycles despite their
stellar fuel economy, small footprint and ability to weave through
traffic like a snake through grass. But the benefits of riding a bike
are often outweighed by their inherent vulnerability, not to mention the
lack of creature comforts and cargo capacity.
Lit Motors aims to change that.
This is the C1, the first prototype from San Francisco-based Lit
Motors. It’s a fully electric, fully enclosed two-wheeled two-seater.
And when the production version arrives in 2014, the C1 will come
complete with airbags, a seatbelt and a smartphone-connected
infotainment system. But that’s not the cool part.
Underneath the passenger compartment are two gyroscopes that keep the
C1 constantly upright. That means it stays standing while stopped and
can pirouette through traffic like the best from Honda, Yamaha and
Ducati.
How much force would it take to knock the C1 on its side? According
to Lit, a small elephant would have to hit it broadside to put the C1 on
the ground.
The C1 prototype you see here is rear-wheel-drive for now, but the
production version will be all-wheel-drive (two-wheel, if you prefer),
with power provided by a hub-mounted electric motor good for 110
horsepower. Weighing in at between 800 and 900 pounds in production
spec, Lit estimates a zero-to-60-mph time of around six seconds, with a
120-mph top speed and a range of 220 miles between charges thanks to the
8 kWh lithium-ion battery pack mounted in the floor. Charge times vary
depending on your outlet, with a household standard 120V juicing the C1
up in around 6 hours or around 4 hours using the 220V outlet powering
your dryer.
It all sounds too good to be true, which is why I’ve trekked across
the bay to Alameda, California, for an exclusive spin in the C1.
Measuring in around 115 inches long and 40 inches wide, the C1 feels
larger on the inside than its dimensions suggest. While the C1 concept
Lit Motors has been showing (built by the same team behind the refreshed
Light Cycles in Tron) packs seating for two, the rear throne is more of
glorified shelf than a proper bucket. In the prototype, a series of
computers and controls occupy the rear passenger area, all of which will
be mounted underneath the floor panel once production begins.
The rough hand-bent aluminum and steel body panels and piecemeal
chassis framing are simply a way to test all the various systems,
motors, gyros and suspension components. Understand, this C1 is a
rolling proof of concept; a two-wheeled testbed of technology that
allows the team to tweak and iterate all the various hardware and
software as they get closer to a final product.
Which is why it broke on us – thrice.
After an initial drive by Lit Motors founder and CEO Danny Kim, the
C1 suffered a software glitch that only allowed one of the gyros to
function properly. After an engineer whipped out a laptop, performed a
series of tests and reset the system, we got the go-ahead.
And then a belt broke.
While it’s doubtful Kim and his team were pleased with the C1′s
debut-day glitches, it gave us a chance to see the hardware that keeps
the bike upright as the Lit team completely removed the gyro magic from
the chassis.
In its current form, the two gyros each put out 266 pound-feet of
torque as they spin, keeping the C1 upright no matter the speed or
angle. In final production form, the combined force of the pair of gyros
will max out at around 1,300 pound-feet, enough to keep the C1 vertical
while stopped, at steady-state cruising and planted to the road at a
maximum lean angle of 45 degrees.
The ability to simply pull the entire gyro setup from the chassis is a
design decision that will make it to production, allowing the C1 to be
serviced quickly and efficiently, much like the battery pack mounted to
the floor of the Tesla Model S. It also helps when something goes awry
during its maiden voyage in the eager hands of someone outside the Lit
Motors studio.
Being a prototype, battery capacity on this lone tester is currently
capped at 3kWh, with the rear motor outputting around 75 hp. Current
weight, sans windshield, side windows and a glass panel that will make
up the roof, will be around 800 to 900 pounds in final form, but
currently, the stripped-down prototype is tipping the scales at around
650 pounds, or close to 800 pounds with driver.
The suspension and brake components are a mashup of production bits
pulled from existing motorcycles and custom built, machined aluminum
pieces Lit Motors developed in-house. The front wheel/tire combo is
donated from a Ducati 848, while the massive rear meat comes off a
Harley-Davidson Fatboy.
Included in the system is a patented regenerative braking setup that
uses the gyros as kinetic capacitors that tap out around 86-percent
efficiency. The regen effort will be honed over the coming months to
provide a subtle amount of “engine braking,” much like you’d experience
in a traditional bike or one of the handful of electric vehicles
currently on the market.
With the belt replaced and the gyros whirring away, I opened up the
thin door, slipped into the Eames-style classroom seat and was greeted
by a traditional array of controls.
There’s a Momo steering wheel connected to an exposed steering shaft
that turns the front wheel, with a few displays, toggle switches and
wiring coalescing into the makeshift dash. Below that are two
traditional pedals – a brake and accelerator – which makes the C1′s
cabin familiar, if sparse.
I’ve been informed by Kim and Co. that I need to sit bolt upright,
otherwise the gyros — working at a much lower capacity than their
production counterparts — won’t be able to keep the C1 steady if I’m
constantly shifting my weight.
Visibility up front and to the sides is phenomenal, although the
aluminum panel out back means rearward vision is all but nonexistent,
particularly with the lack of a rearview or wing mirrors.
I stretch a bit to reach the steering wheel when I’m given the green
light to push the throttle. It takes a bit of force to get the C1
moving, but once underway, it moves with the kind of smoothness I’ve
come to expect from other EVs.
I’m told to keep the speeds low, so I cautiously give it more
throttle and hit maybe 10 mph before pressing firmly on the brakes to
bring the C1 to a halt.
While the gyros mean the C1 stays standing even while stopped,
there’s an additional benefit over a traditional bike: reverse. A metal
switch on the dash allows me to switch from forward to reverse, and
within a second I’m hauling backward at an impressive clip.
Another stop, another flick of the directional switch and I get back
up to speed quickly before coming to a stop once again. Because of an
issue with the gyros, I’m unable to test its ability to handle a few
turns.
Mildly disappointed but still impressed, I throw it into reverse
again, back up to the starting point and hop out. The C1 stays standing
as my weight shifts from the floor panel to the ground; the body
twitching almost imperceptibly to keep itself righted.
Yes, the C1 works as advertised, but there’s obviously much more to do before it’s ready for primetime.
This first C1 prototype is the work of Kim and his half-dozen-strong team, along with an initial investment of around $200,000.
Lit Motors will need millions more to complete the next round of
testing and upgrades, along with getting the interior and sound
deadening sorted, the all-wheel-drive system functional and the rest of
the body components up to production spec. Not to mention getting the C1
50-state legal, something a partnership with a major automaker would
certainly help along.
But the seed has been planted, the hardware works and in two years’
time, you and I could be among the first to plunk down the $24,000 Lit
Motors estimates the C1 will cost.
Source: Wired
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment