Arcimoto is the brainchild of Mark Frohnmayer, a man who believes that switching to electric propulsion is not enough to save the planet and that we also need to scale down the size of our vehicles.
Speaking of that, the Arcimoto has an estimated range of 102 miles (165 km) in urban conditions, which is where these vehicles make the most sense. That may seem very limited, but compare it to Renault’s Twizy – a somewhat similar quadricycle – that can realistically only drive for 50 miles (80 km) at best, and the Arcimoto becomes a more than decent option. Hell, even the smart EQ fortwo has a shorter range than that, and it can also only carry two people and not much else.
The Arcimoto falls under the FUV category, which stands for Fun Utility Vehicle. Looking at the thing, it’s clear where it gets the “F” from. It looks like the closest one can get to the feeling of riding a motorcycle without sacrificing the comfort of a regular car seat, albeit without the familiarity of a steering wheel. It’s also a lot safer thanks to that overhead frame, which also allows the driver and passenger to drive it without wearing helmets.
The potential for fun didn’t escape Tesla CEO Elon Musk, apparently, who managed to earn the unwanted accolade of being the first person to crash an Arcimoto. During an interview for HyperChange, Mark Frohnmayer recalls the moment Elon Musk got into an Arcimoto and drove it straight into a brick wall. “Adeo [the owner of the vehicle] said he was just being a dips**t“, Mark explains when asked about how it happened.
To be fair, Elon has a track record of crashing vehicles, be they motorcycles (though the singular would have been more appropriate since the Tesla CEO has been famously reluctant to get on two wheels ever since) or a one million dollars hypercar – the McLaren F1 he bought.
When asked about getting involved in the development of the Arcimoto, Mark claims that Elon Musk refused by claiming the three-wheeler was too unsafe. It’s unclear whether this happened before or after his very short test drive, but the fact of the matter is the two companies have remained unrelated since.
Speaking of safety, Mark has a different view on it. He says that driving an Arcimoto makes the person behind the wheel handle completely aware of how exposed and vulnerable they are, which in turn will force them to drive defensively. He also talks about how classic vehicles impede the driver’s field of view and how that can become a safety hazard for those outside the car that nobody ever talks about.
The Elon Musk bit comes up around the 6:20 mark, but we strongly advise you to listen to the rest of the interview as well, as it might make you think slightly differently about personal mobility.
