“That doesn’t seem safe.”
The statement would follow me for days. Every time I mentioned I was taking a test drive of Arcimoto Fun Utility Vehicle, a fully electric three-wheeler in the open air, a friend or co-worker would speak up to say what seemed obvious to them.
After all, most cars have four wheels, not three. They also often have doors and airbags.
Arcimoto’s FUV (or Fooove as I chose to pronounce it) has something most fully enclosed sedans and subcompacts don’t: It’s exhilarating to drive without feeling like a death trap.
Legally speaking, the FUV is a motorcycle. I think of it more like an electric kart that does 75mph on the highway. However, if he’s anything like my colleague Brian Heater, his first thought might be “flint.” Another colleague wondered if it looked more like an ATV. While another friend later said the FUV reminded them of a Little Tikes Cozy Coupe.
Regardless of what you conclude at first glance, one thing is for sure: if you want to drive something that everyone will quickly form an opinion on, then boy, this is the car for you.
Apparently a quick 10-minute ride and a lap around the block was all the training I needed before an Arcimoto staffer sent me off alone in the FUV.
I picked him up at GoCar Tours Las Vegas, and that’s really the problem. the FUV could be a fancy little neighborhood patrol car, but in a city like Las Vegas, this three-wheeler screams tourist excursion. Arcimoto might well have built it for dive into the spectacle of the Strip, but I’d like to think the little guy also introduced a flavor of his own to the SUV-dominated roads.
Driving down the Strip in the FUV Arcimoto
The FUV features heated seats and handlebars to offset the wind chill. There’s also a panoramic steel roof (which GoCar stuffed with ads), a hand and foot brake (the former is regenerative), Bluetooth speakers, and a projected range of 102 miles in the city.
I adjusted to the handlebar throttle (and missing steering wheel) faster than I expected. At a stoplight, I queued up a few songs I felt comfortable subjecting passersby to, slumped further into the front seat, and rode like I had actual errands to run.
I’m a regular pedestrian and I don’t own a car, but when I pulled into a drugstore parking lot and pulled my carry-on bag out of the lockable trunk (a small “cargo box”), I thought, “Hey. , three wheels are better than none.” i was riding high pixies Doolittle’s album and the newness of it all, driving down virtually empty roads just before CES attendees and taxi cabs clogged Sin City’s arteries.
Then came the traffic.
The FUV is small, but it can’t navigate traffic quite like a conventional motorcycle. Still, there were moments when I deeply appreciated his small stature and dodged sections of cars that were taking up the middle of the lane waiting to turn.
Another shot of Arcimoto’s FUV on the Strip
Also, I could park anywhere. It takes up so little space that reserving an entire parking spot for the FUV seems almost wasteful.
Riding with a passenger in the back was also a treat. You may not believe it, but the ceiling does a good job of reflecting sound, so I was able to easily chat with my colleague. Natalia Christman while she filmed from the back seat.
Having someone with you also means that you will surely notice more reactions from pedestrians. In our case, they ranged from blank stares and upward nods to outright yelling. It’s not easy to hear what someone is shouting from across the street. ultra wide streets, but I made out some variations of “what’s that!?” and “Is that new?” (It is not. The FUV debuted in 2019.)
Park the FUV with plenty of room to spare
Then the rain came.
My stay in Las Vegas was extremely humid, as rare storms dumped buckets over the city. I considered this a challenge for both myself and the FUV. I agreed to take a couple of days of icy knuckles and wet pants, as long as the silly little vehicle didn’t slip and slide us under a hulking truck. It was not so!
The rain was not too challenging. Sometimes my hands got a little numb despite the warm fists. (If I had a FUV, I’d just keep a pair of gloves on the back.) From time to time, he dodged puddles. It was a little hassle to get rainwater off the seat and the roof did its job for the most part.
In a pinch, I took a sip of an iced latte and jotted down notes about how cold I felt. Because I’m so?
Other downsides to the FUV included the extra heavy steering. It really made me work getting around corners from a complete stop, handling almost like a car without power steering. When I picked it up, I was told that the latest version of the FUV addresses this issue and is lighter.
After a while, attention also went out of style. I am an introverted trans woman so I am not here for the looks that accompany a visually loud vehicle. I don’t see this as a deal breaker though, just an observation. I also love very ridiculous cars, so this is more of a personal contradiction than anything else.
The FUV is certainly ridiculous. However, in normally dry places like Las Vegas or, say, Los Angeles, I found it, dare I say, practical. I’d prefer a small city car with doors and windows, and there are three-wheelers on the market that offer just that, including the Electra Meccanica. ONLY.
With room for a passenger (unlike the SOLO) and an overall windy driving experience on a single charge, I still think Arcimoto’s FUV is less silly than it initially appears.
The name makes it sound like a car best left to tourists; I would happily ride it around my neighborhood for light errands. It seemed robust and reliable in the three and a half days I spent with it, and riding three wheels felt as natural to me as four. (Side note: I took it on the highway, hitting around 60 mph, and that was too exciting for my liking.)
There are many reasons to go for an extra-small vehicle, especially if you live in a dense area. For one, smaller vehicles require fewer materials and smaller batteries, which at least in theory should translate into lower emissions. Smaller vehicles too less likely to kill pedestrians
If you have any security issues, you can see what Arcimoto has to say about it here. A company spokesperson told TechCrunch that the FUV’s “steel upper frame is FMVSS compliant.” 216a Roof Crush Resistance Standard.”
The car also includes a crash sensor that disconnects the battery in the event of an impact, and “dual 3-point safety seat belts.” That means you have to buckle up twice when you get in.
There is no shortage of FUN; literally short of funds
If you want to try the FUV for yourself, you can hurry up. After the dismissal of dozens of employees, Eugene, Oregon-based Arcimoto investors alerted in January that he was running out of cash.
“We have halted our vehicle production and will need substantial additional funding to resume production,” the automaker said.
With no fresh funds, Arcimoto warned at the time that “it will be necessary for me to cease operations and/or seek bankruptcy protection.” The startup’s market capitalization was hovering around $13.5 million when this story broke, a far cry from its peak of more than $1 billion two years ago.
The FUV starts at $17,900 before subsidies, but the price tops out at $25,000 with upgrades like sleeker seats, half-doors, a rear cargo box, and cup holders. Arcimoto also sells used FUVs; on their site, the company has one listed for $16,800.
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