Suspension of Trading - What does it mean?

Well, yes... JDH it's true that hybrids are not an ideal solution from an aesthetic or engineering point of view, but from a marketing perspective, maybe Vectrix should have at least offered a hybrid option to gain market acceptance.I don't know if it is even possible but I was thinking of a small, light motor that would supplement battery power during peak periods of battery stress, thereby extending the charge life of the battery? Well, as I say that may not be practical, I clearly studied law not engineering!!

Vectrix, and this is very much to the point of the this thread, both as a company and a product, has simply failed to attract enough buyers to remain viable! Already the European factory is closed and the UK listed entity has suspended trading, effectively wiping out the corporate capital base, the US entity is desperately seeking some method of an orderly sale for stock value only in a bid. Vectrix as a brand is defunct, and the lessons to be learnt from the products demise are enormously valuable in furthering the advancement of EV development.

Well, yes... JDH it's true that hybrids are not an ideal solution from an aesthetic or engineering point of view, but from a marketing perspective, maybe Vectrix should have at least offered a hybrid option to gain market acceptance.I don't know if it is even possible but I was thinking of a small, light motor that would supplement battery power during peak periods of battery stress, thereby extending the charge life of the battery? Well, as I say that may not be practical, I clearly studied law not engineering!!

Vectrix, and this is very much to the point of the this thread, both as a company and a product, has simply failed to attract enough buyers to remain viable! Already the European factory is closed and the UK listed entity has suspended trading, effectively wiping out the corporate capital base, the US entity is desperately seeking some method of an orderly sale for stock value only in a bid. Vectrix as a brand is defunct, and the lessons to be learnt from the products demise are enormously valuable in furthering the advancement of EV development.

That project existed: http://ilbcnu.org/file_share/vectrixfuelcellhybrid.pdf
Like many others (from Vectrix) didn'thave a real start. Some were bad some were good, this one was one of the best!

(...)And now each time something breaks on the Vectux, it gets fixed in public, so anyone can learn from it. I hope it helps a lot of people in a variety of ways!

:-) I think that I talk for all of us, that we deeply thank you for your posture and your work!
I think that your work deserves to be arranged and published in a good site with a good interface, like for instance www.vectrixfan.com that could turn out to be the #1 reference for Vectrix owners in trouble. The web developer (also member of this forum) already proofed to be competent, maybe he can contribute to rearrange all the information that you have been publishing in this forum, with of course, your authorization and help.

Keep on the good work (sorry my English)...

(...)And now each time something breaks on the Vectux, it gets fixed in public, so anyone can learn from it. I hope it helps a lot of people in a variety of ways!

:-) I think that I talk for all of us, that we deeply thank you for your posture and your work!
I think that your work deserves to be arranged and published in a good site with a good interface, like for instance www.vectrixfan.com that could turn out to be the #1 reference for Vectrix owners in trouble. The web developer (also member of this forum) already proofed to be competent, maybe he can contribute to rearrange all the information that you have been publishing in this forum, with of course, your authorization and help.

Keep on the good work (sorry my English)...

I agree, Mik has done an outstanding job of providing information. It is a little hard to find on this site, would be nice if it was somewhere arranged by subject. I see Mik is trying to document into a sort of manual. Putting all the info by subject (for instance, Batteries, Motor, Controller, Charger, Etc), would be helpful as a person could search just those areas looking for the info he (or She) needs. I also appreciate all the info by other posters as well. I registered on that site also, looks nice so far.

In reply to Mik, I believe that the Mr Alex Bamberg, the UK General Manager was due to visit the Australian distributor, with a technical support team, but the visit was cancelled on the orders of Mike Boyle, who's policy was it that it was cheaper to fight service problems legally, than to actually provide service support. In the dispute that followed this approach to Alex Bamberg and most of the original Vectrix were fired or resigned. Oddly enough,Mike Boyales approach is not that unusual a type of US corporate exec. Remember the Ford and GM debacles of the '70's& 80's?

The warranty offers were economically irresponsible in the first place and it sounds like Mik's Australian distributor was very naive to even contemplate attempting to live up to the US parents ill-conceived policy. However, I may be being very unfair to the Australian distributor. It is very likely that they were promised extensive US support and very low service/failure/defect rates. I do know that the world distributors were promised rebates to help pay for the cost of servicing and free supply of spare parts. this policy was unofficially discontinued with the arrival of Mike Boyle, and substituted with a policy of legal denials of any service problems.If the warranty service model is uneconomic here in the UK, it's not hard to understand the problems of servicing a low volume selling product across a continent the size of Australia!

I am not saying that Mik is wrong to expect to get what he was promised, but I am agreeing with him, when he says that attempting to legally enforce what is obviously undeliverable, would just be throwing good money after bad.

As to what will happen to the supply of spare parts and servicing? Well better hope that Mik writes his manual! It will very much depends on who purchases the remnants of Vectrix. There must be a fair stockpile of spare parts and most of the mechanical Vectrix is replaceable from either Piaggio or generic suppliers. Batteries, chargers and other electrical component can be sourced and advice can be sought form enthusiasts like Mik, who are kind and dedicated enough to share there valuable input for free!

Who will cover the cost, ... Ah, well I suspect it will be you, the consumer!!

But hey, but maybe I'm too cynical! Maybe even now the Vectrix CEO, and in house Attorney are devoting their payouts and trust funds to setting up "Boyle and Mier", the "no profit, beyond vectrix, service company" in their Manhattan/Long Island living rooms!!!!! but, then again, I wouldn't hold your breath waiting!

Hmmm... that a very interesting point Mik. Although the copyright of the manual may rest with Vectix Corp, it would be very unlikely that they would dare to try to enforce the copyright against a bike owner. But this may well be part of the assets of Vectrix in the advent of receivership. Still difficult to see how they would mount an argument for loss though!!

My sources tell me that the service manual does not contain the computer codes to the bikes computer, and that these were never provided to the dealers/distributors.

I believe the Vectrix UK, Euro, Poland, Australia, and various other shareholders, creditors and distributors are joining forces in a legal action against US parent for a place at the table in the winding up of Vectrix Corp. This is interesting as it may prevent the corporate irregularities simply being covered up as the US system often allows. This consortium also hopes to revive the brand and recommence manufacture at the Polish factory.

I would wish them luck, but in my opinion it would just be another under-capitalized failure. The real hope is that a South Korean corporation is successful in buying the technology and developing a EV product as part of an existing product range.

Wow mik, you really have studied your Vectrix ! I agree that court proceedings are never desirable, but in this instance the court would be sympathetic since the dealers/distributors themselves are abandoning any pretence of honouring the onerous warranties originally promised and if the claimed exclusive right to post-warranty repairs would be compelled to honour the inherent manufacture warranty obligations of Vcorp.

As to the rest, I believe you are correct, for simple repairs the software upgrades were probably sent by VCorp as software programs, but the major diagnostics were a closely guarded secret. I believe that the impracticality of the 'flying service' concept first began to breakdown in Australia, Spain, Parts of the USA and South Africa. In the UK and Europe,the distance and logistics were easier, but even so it does take a genius to work out that providing roadside assistance to less than 100 units spread across area the size of Europe is uneconomic, let alone area the vast size of Australia. As I understand, from your posts you would appear to live in North Queensland, and Vectrix Australia is based in Melbourne, Victoria! Now I may have it wrong, but on my last visit to Downunder, this is the equivalent distance of London to Cairo !

Which, is why I stated that any mass-volume EV maker should possess an already established network of service agents.

Maybe some going-out-of-business or current Vectrix dealer will tell us what is/was available on the dealer site, and perhaps save a copy of everything.

After all, this dealer web site could be closed at any moment.

IMO, as part of discontinuing warranty (and paid) service, the courts should compell Vectrix to make all the service-related information pubically available.