It seems that Current Motor Company has moved on from motor scooters sold to the public to a peculiar niche - but scooters are still part of it. Check this out and see what you think:
My informed guess is that their ongoing business relationship with the Brazilian Government largely drove the idea - The customer needed a self-contained, no-fossil-fuel, no-grid, non-equine form of local transportation in remote areas.
But according to their brochure, they are targeting "global mining and manufacturing companies".
Terry Richards will presumably still provide service and support for those few of us with the earlier-gen scooters - but patience is required...
Paul D.
That's interesting ... sometimes companies have to pivot and pivot and pivot before they find a successful line of business.
The News link on the website goes to this press release that has more info:- http://media.wix.com/ugd/5ceaa9_f6abb24a49b0433fab502d571b34192f.pdf
It describes a "Mini Fleet In A Box" ... a shipping container with solar panels, charging system, and electric scooters, ready to go.
- David Herron, The Long Tail Pipe, davidherron.com, 7gen.com, What is Reiki
(edit: added more thoughts on the matter)
It seems weird to me. They say it is targeted for use in mining, manufacturing and presumably oil - but as someone who has been involved in all or these industries - I don't see any practical functions of a scooter - even a "ruggedized" one like the current product - in any of these things.
It seem an odd thing to market - since one could just as easily or more cheaply buy the solar panels, storage pack, and associated chargers and inverters separately - then add scooters (along with other electric appliances). That bulky shipping container format especially seems problematic - the kind of places where this would be useful would be places that are not accessible by truck or even (very expensive) heavy-lift helicopter (maybe the Russian Mi-26). Is it (and the scooters inside) rugged enough to be parachuted out the back of a C130? In the case of remote areas of the northwestern Brazil/Peru frontier, I presume the only access is by a small river barge which could presumably carry one of these containers, with a follow-up barge with large rough-terrain forklift to unload it - all to provide scooter transportation on... are there any roads in these areas? The more I think about this idea, the stranger it gets.
My guess is that there is some specific purpose the Brazilian Govt. has for this (their main business relationship recently) and they are trying to find another market. too bad Elon Musk isn't Current's CEO - somehow his most hare-brained ideas get taken seriously by his moneyed friends...
I tried to tell them there would have been a huge market for their scooters in nearby Toronto - where low-speed e-scooters fill the streets in all but the coldest months and surely there was a pregnant market for full-performance stuff.
I agree. It does seem to be a strange choice.
The redesigned bike looks good. Better than the one I have.
I have always thought they should try and piggyback their sales with a solar company or offer an option where you can use the bike as a back up power supply in case of power outages.
Both those ideas would fly in sunny Southern California where the solar is plentiful, you can ride year around and there is the real chance of a major power outage after an earthquake.
LCJUTILA
About a year ago Current Motors stated their market, at that time, was forest service and state park fleets. Maybe this 4-pack idea will still supply that market as well. Doesn't look like they are getting into local dealerships for the public.
But the solar station is a good idea. I am in an off-grid solar home, and I sure wish there were a way to directly charge electric cars from a PV carport array, without using external battery/inverter system. Would require a DC/DC EV voltage charge control in the line somewhere.
Solar Steve
Off Grid Photovoltaics
in North Idaho
Honda has an experimental home in Davis CA where there are solar panels on the house, and CHAdeMO for DC charging an electric car, and a grid energy storage system to power house & car.
http://www.longtailpipe.com/2014/03/honda-shows-off-future-with-smart-home.html
- David Herron, The Long Tail Pipe, davidherron.com, 7gen.com, What is Reiki