In addition to the Bolt and e-Golf, there were a variety of more specialized BEVs, including a variety of folding electric scooters for that last mile of your commute between the train station and your office (Photo 3 above). More interesting was the Arcimoto SRK tandem three-wheeler with 80 miles/hr top speed, acceleration from zero to 60 in 7.5 seconds, and a range of 70 miles with a 12 kWh Li-ion battery system or 130 miles with a 20 kWh system (Photo 4).
I had drove an Arcimoto around the Riviera’s parking lot, which was empty since the Riviera is being demolished. The Arcimoto is lively when you push your right foot to the floorboard, and feels stable in the curves, although I didn’t try to get close to the vehicle’s limit. The regenerative braking is so effective that I barely had to use the hydraulic brakes. The Arcimoto is being built in Oregon, and will be available Q4’16 at a starting MSRP of $11,900 . Enclosed light-weight bodywork with a falcon-wing door, and a heater/air conditioner are being developed for those of us who live where the weather is not perfect. The Arcimoto team believes their vehicle will be classified as a motorcycle in most states. Oh, yes: The three-wheeler contained a simple display in front of the driver that was a bit too far away from the driver for touch control. There is also a clamp for a smart-phone in the handlebar hub. The Arcimoto team is considering removing the built-in display and having the driver’s smart phone serve as the entire digital user interface. I advised against that.
Several companies, including Bosch and Denso showed prototype electric utility vehicles: more than a golf cart, less than a car (Photo 5 – above). At the ShowStoppers media event, Polaris showed its four-passenger GEM e4 electric campus/facility vehicle with a choice of five lead-acid and lithium-ion battery pack options providing ranges from 15 to 90 miles. The line also includes the e2 (two passengers), e6 (six passengers), and el-XD (2 passengers plus pick-up bed in the back. A more rugged-looking eM 1400 LSV has a 1400-pound payload capacity (but no Li-ion option) — just right for helping your gardener transplant those 15-year-old white pines that are now too close to the family mansion.
