Lit Motors' C-1 electric motorcycle will stand up for itself
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http://www.mymator.ge/ As any avid biker will tell you, motorcycles have a lot of advantages over cars - they use less fuel, accelerate faster, are more maneuverable, can be parked in more places, and don't incorporate the weight of extra seating for passengers who are non-existent on solo commutes. As many other people will tell you, however, motorcycles also leave their occupants open to the rain and cold, and can potentially tip over and scatter those occupants across the road. That's where Lit Motors' C-1 comes into the picture. It's a proposed fully-enclosed two-passenger electric motorbike that uses an electronically-controlled gyroscopic stabilizing system to stay upright when stopped, or even when struck from the side in an accident. Lit Motors is based out of San Francisco, and is headed up by industrial/automotive designer Daniel Kim. The idea for the C-1 came to him after he had traveled around the world for a year, seeing the transportation challenges and innovations in developing nations. "I met thousands and thousands of people, and learned how cultures function and how people get around," he told us. "It was an amazing experience. That's basically what informed me, for the rest of my life." The vehicle So far, Kim and his team have developed an operating model of the C-1's flywheel-based stabilization system, along with a full-scale fiberglass mock-up of the vehicle itself. They are now working on a hand-built steel uni-bodied working prototype, which should reportedly be complete within about three months. Plans call for an initial run of production vehicles to be available at a price of about US$24,000 by late 2013, with that price going down to $16,000 once full production gets under way in 2014. Different versions of the C-1 will be available for different markets. The model aimed at First World countries will have an 8-10 kilowatt-hour battery pack, while a model intended for developing nations will be rated at about 4-6 kWh. The vehicle will incorporate electric hub motors in both wheels, at least one of those motors being a high-performance Remy HVH unit. The top speed should be at least 120 mph (193 km/h), with driving range for the higher-end model expected to sit at around 150 to 220 miles (241 to 354 km) per charge, depending on the exact size of the battery. Harvesting energy While the C-1's light weight, aerodynamic shape and low rolling resistance should allow it to get decent mileage, KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) technology will also help in that department. As is the case with the self-balancing Thrustcycle SRT, kinetic power that would otherwise be lost in the braking process will instead be used to assist in spinning up the flywheels. Along with providing stability, those wheels will also deliver power back to the drivetrain when the vehicle is accelerating, giving the battery pack a break. The flywheels will be located beneath the vehicle's floor, and should generate over 1,300 lb/ft (1,763 Nm) of torque in the final, commercial model. Although previous attempts at gyroscopically-stabilized vehicles such as the Gyro-X were rumored to be tippy when cornering at high speeds, Kim assures us that a patented system will keep that from being the case with the C-1. Keeping connected As with many existing newer cars, the vehicle will also utilize various connectivity protocols to stay in contact with the internet. This will allow its driver to be continuously aware of factors such as traffic, construction, and adverse weather conditions - where applicable, alternate routes will be suggested. Monotracer cabin motorcycle made by Swiss company Peraves. Unlike the C-1, however, the E-Tracer lacks a gyroscopic stabilizing system - instead, its driver must manually deploy retractable outrigger supports when slowing down or coming to a stop. "We're creating a safe motorcycle, and that's never been done in the way that we're doing it, where it's also incredibly efficient" said Kim. "We're trying to open up safety to a huge market of 200 million motorcyclists, daily in the world. We have a huge market, and I think we could have a lot of impact." The video below shows how the C-1 might operate in the real world.
Comments
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They are estimating 19000 USD, where you can buy good car in that price. so project is not financially viable, will never hit the road.
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1. Is this ever going to launch? 2. It needs a storage compartment , need to be able to store a back pack or 3 or 4 bags of groceries.
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Its as big as a Smart car :D if your battery goes dead that Gyroscope feature will cut off and guess what :D kaplunk, , it can only balance as long as the gyroscope is powered. There are a lot of 4 wheeled small cars already at this point getting this 2 wheeler is plain silly, unless you have a lot of cash to throw around..
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yea it would NEED a good SIDE airbags and a GREAT roll cage BUT if it had that it would be a CONTENDER! of course this is a BORING design look, make it look a little more Racier ,SEXIER
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Yea Michael Typical vapor, remember That Mini in England with 4 wheel motors?, PML motors? or remember the Movie "Who Killed the Electric car"? This WOULD BE the HOTTEST market In EV. im sure the Chinese Will STEAL our Lunch money on this TOO!!
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yes thast a very good stabilization system
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If you want a motorcycle, get one. If you want a fuel efficient car, there are many, get one. This is a TOY, period. Ask yourself this simple question....what happens when I lose a gyro??? Yikes!!!
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3:01 that just hurts man...why ...the humanity
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lit af
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This company will never finish their vehicle. All talk, no action- so far. The have taken deposits and nothing has been delivered, and the postponements are endless. This is another case of ... failed dreams.
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sorry, for reals that was autocorrect .... "LIT motors!" I do like them. fekking auto correct.
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too true
I keep checking on Litter Motors ... and ... nutting -
The "crash scene" ist the most shitty :P
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can you make it look like Kaneda's bike from Akira? I might buy one then.
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come back when you have a video of a car smacking it
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maximum speed 10 km per an hour :)
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I think that with this bike lane splitting is not possible (it's too wide) so there goes the main advantage of motorbikes.
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just a rehash of old videos. still nothing new here. will this ever come to market or will it stay vaporware.
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Alas... I wish the geeky guys who put this gyroscopic-controlled "motorcycle" together go back and do some 10th grade REVIEW of introductory PHYSICS.
A 3,000 to 5,000 pound FAMILY SEDAN crashing at this 500-800 pound, IF EITHER OF THEM was traveling more than 45MPH, won't LOOK like the cute video shown here. Rather, it'd be METALS and PLASTICS and ALUMINUM breaking apart and flying every which way.
Even if you're wearing a safety motorcycle helmet of the best quality, IN THAT MOTORCYCLE, it'd be 10 TIMES worse for you and your brains than a 300-400 pound football playing tackling a quarterback.
At 45MPH or more, from an average family sedan, you, in the motorcycle, would be thrown dozens of feet from the impact site, EXACTLY like another traditional motorcycle, with those flimsy aluminum panels providing little to NO safety, not so unlike a similar impact with a traditional motorcycle.
Again, it is VERY CUTE to show such soft "kissing" of the two vehicles, with the cute "lit" motorcyle spinning on its vertical stance (due to the gyroscopic balanacing mechanism).
But, again, REAL PHYSICS ain't gonna be as pretty, if this lit motorcycle were to kiss a 3-4,000 pound sedan traveling at least 45MPH... -
That's not a motorcycle... That's a car on 2 wheels...
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