an eMail notice (from investor relations) said that arcimoto is buying industrial space in order to scale production

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/arcimoto-...00471.html

looking at the listing flyer noticed the solar panels, I'm guessing in the future the solar array will cover more of the roof area

https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/311-Cham...9060/print

The FUV can reach a top speed of 75 mph (121 km/h) and sports an estimated city range of 102.5 miles (165 km). Arcimoto claims that the FUV reaches an efficiency of 173.7 MPGe.
https://electrek.co/2020/11/30/arcimoto-...c-vehicle/

just wondering under what conditions does the FUV reach an efficiency of 173.7 MPGe the reason I ask is have a gut feeling that overall in the real world its actually much less?!

this is because for sake of argument lets say the high voltage battery in the FUV stores about 20KwH of energy 

27:32 [THE FUV BATTERY] ...it's 19.2 (KwH)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dje2WD_YfpQ&t=27m32s

AND on average 1 KwH of energy creates about 1lb of CO2 AND lets also assume that burning 1 gal of gas in an internal combustion engine creates about 20 lbs of CO2 AND lastly from news articles lets estimate that the range of the FUV is about 100 miles 

(NOTE all these figures have been rounded off to make the mental calculations simple)

on average, one kilowatt-hour creates 1.13 pounds of carbon dioxide
https://www.blueskymodel.org/kilowatt-hour

On average, one gallon of gasoline produces a little over 18 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2)
http://www.blueskymodel.org/gallon-gas

...IOW the FUV uses 20KwH of energy to go 100 miles AND since 20 KwH creates about 20 lbs of CO2 AND that 1 gal of gas (looking at the chemical combustion process) creates 20 lbs of CO2,... so the real world efficiency of the FUV is actually about 100 MPGe ??? (this to me seems more real world ball park figure for MPGe because of the high parasitic current draw caused by among other things the "high voltage" battery pack always charging the 12 volt electronic brains system battery)

https://www.gmforum.com/howto/1998SM/par...edures.pdf

"over all" wish the energy use (in an FUV) to travel a given distance was better than 100 MPGe, but from my own short term experience having the FUV (here in San Diego), its been pretty nice to have a windscreen along with heated seats to run errands and goto covid events like,...

https://fox5sandiego.com/news/local-news...lboa-park/

actually given the small size and maneuverability of the FUV we were able to avoid the gridlock at this drive-up event (where there were lots of SUVs)

the other day 2020.11.19 my FUV was delivered AND by coincidence the stock was up 69% which I take is a good sign from the gods,... ;-)

noticed on Facebook there were instructions on how to convert the headlights to LEDs, but since I don't do Facebook I was not able to down load the "how to"



https://www.facebook.com/notes/arcimoto-...852499316/

another item I want is to upgrade is the ignition switch (to a marine spec RFID ignition switch)

https://www.digitalguarddawg.com/keyless...ine/pbs-m/

I'd like is a lockable "waterproof" compartment for registration and proof of insurance

...so anyone try a motorcycle license plate locking compartment like??? 

https://www.aerostich.com/license-plate-...tment.html

figure it would be nice to basically have a motorcycle license plate locking compartment keyed the same as the optional arcimoto rear "cargo" box,... which I'll use to hold (just in case) an "LED Road Flares Safety Turn Arrow Light Emergency Roadside Flashing Flares Safety Strobe Light"

https://www.amazon.com/Flares-Arrow-Emer...B07SGY8ZTR

lastly instead of a custom paint job,... thought of a bumper sticker to socially signal some scientific/stock market humor

https://ibb.co/BfSS67w

Hello you all, I am Andreas from Germany and I just placed my first preorder. Hope Arcimoto will make the FUV available in Germany ... soon

Has anyone found where there might be accessory power to tap for a dashcam system. The USB plugs and all fuses always have power and there is no ignition system to tap into (as it has no gas engine). We just want the dashcam to work only when the vehicle is on.

Nevermind, found a plug that fit the bill.

There are many back-up cameras on the market, each with their pros and cons. I did not need the ability to record so that helped narrow down the field. I had my sights on a Garmin system after I used one of their systems on our former Slingshot. The Slingshot came with an OEM backup camera but I used the Garmin cameras in an unconventional way. I installed a camera on the front and on the right side of the Slingshot. This aided in parking the Slingshot because it had a long front end and helped prevent curb strikes on the side.

Anyway, back to the FUV. I got a Garmin DriveSmart 55 with the BC40 camera (link takes you to the Garmin website. I purchased mine through Amazon). The camera comes with an aluminum mounting bracket that is sized for a car's license plate. I simply had to cut it down to size and mounted it so the camera is on the bottom. I thought that if the camera was on top it would obstruct the plate light. The camera is powered by two AA batteries (lithium) that should last about a year. The camera is wireless so there are no wires to run. You just simply tap the blue button on the 55's display to connect to the camera. There is a slight delay while the 55 connects. So far my early tests have been positive.

The angle of the camera can be adjusted. I have mine pointed down slightly so I can better see the tape on the garage floor.






The DriveSmart 55 does come with a suction cup mount. I opted to go with a roll bar clamp mount instead. I have it mounted where a typical rear view mirror would be. I may change this as I found that looking up at the display can be problematic if the sun is in front of me. I don't know - the jury is still out. I ordered a custom made USB cable to power the DriveSmart through the FUV's USB port. I don't have the cable yet so the 55 is using its internal battery for now.



This is the license plate mount that comes with the BC40 camera. I used my bandsaw to cut it down to size. Drilled two 1/4" holes for the license plate mounting screws. Easy.

This is not a perfect setup. But it works for me...for now.

Got my FUV back from the AMP (brake line recall plus investigating an odd motor-power-loss issue I had happen.) Came with a nice bonus - soft door storage pockets with cup holders! (The cup holders are made of "can koozie" type material.) One on each front door.



Ah.... It's nice to have two EVs charging in the garage again...

https://www.facebook.com/groups/34321886...345263381/

(I don't do FB any more, but I do read the FUV group occasionally.)

My FUV just finished a recall repair, I'll be trying to hitch a ride to Eugene to pick it up and participate, then drive back home to Portland.

I always believed that backing up the FUV could be somewhat hazardous since it did not have any backup lights and it made virtually no noise. With pedestrians being distracted by their smartphones, this was a recipe for disaster. So I installed backup lights and a backup beeper. I also added a "kill" switch on the handlebar. The switch was added so I wouldn't disturb my neighbors (I park the FUV backwards in the garage).

I may add a backup camera later but this solution provides the audio/visual cues to those behind me.









Side Note: I posted this mod in this forum and not on Facebook. Although I have posted in the FB group, it's really not my first choice.