Arcimoto Jumps Into The E-bike Market
Meet the Mean Lean Machine
Arcimoto, maker of the 3-wheeled FUV (Fun Utility Vehicle), jumps into the fray with an electric leaning trike. That is, when you turn, the bike leans to keep all three wheels on the ground to offer a riding experience closer to a two-wheeler, but with the stability of 3 wheels. It’s called the MLM, for “Mean Lean Machine”.
There’s no word yet on the actual speed or the price. You can obviously see the battery mounted up front, and some of the suspension linkage that allows the bike to lean. You can reserve one for $100 now (fully refundable preorder), and pay the balance on delivery (currently expected in Q4 of 2022). It promises “200+ miles range with auxiliary batteries”, can carry 1-2 people, and has 3-wheel direct drive, meaning each wheel has its own motor.
Interestingly, they’ve baked in some good recharging tech. You can, of course, plug it into a charger to charge, but it also can charge by being pedaled. The video below shows a rider pedaling it to a full charge while stationary in his garage.
The trike in the video is slightly different than the photo above, in that the wheels have more obvious motors and spokes inside.
We’ve driven the FUV, and it lives up to its name! We’ll wait and see how the MLM specs and prices out.
