Tag Archives: Arc Vector

Arc Vector to ride the hillclimb course at Goodwood FOS

Electric neo-café racer to compete in Goodwood hillclimb

The £90,000 zero-emission café racer Arc Vector will spin its wheels for the first time in public at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on 4-7 July, tearing up the famous hillclimb course alongside storied superbikes and motorsport icons.

Arc Vector LHS
Arc Vector

Arc Vector is being readied for production next summer and the bike that’ll be seen flat-out on the Duke of Richmond’s driveway is the final prototype. In addition, Arc Vehicle’s on-site sales boutique will feature a VR-enabled Vector, and a third prototype is being hosted for all to see alongside the Michelin Supercar Paddock.

Arc Vector Action
Arc Vector

The Goodwood Festival of Speed celebrates velocity in all its forms, not least when it comes to adrenalin-forged innovation. Designed and built in Britain, makers claim that the Arc Vector is the world’s most advanced electric motorcycle. It features an ingenious battery-module carbon monocoque and, worn by the rider, a connected Heads-Up display helmet and bespoke jacket with haptic motors that makes the riding experience safer and more exhilarating.

Arc Vector
Arc Vector helmet with HUD display

As well as demonstrating the thrust of its 399-volt electric motor – which provides a power-to-weight ratio of 650bhp per tonne – Goodwood House’s 1.16-mile course will highlight the Vector’s handling and manoeuvrability; its unique steeply-raked hub-centre steering enables fast changes of direction and stability at high-speed.

Arc Vector Steering
Arc Vector

Plot 5, next to the Thakeham Family Area and behind the Startline Grandstand, is where visitors can experience it for themselves, by straddling the Vector and donning Virtual Reality goggles. The fighter jet-inspired Zenith helmet and Origin sensory body armour will make its public debut, too, and there will also be a digital bike configurator where guests can spec their very own electric dream.

Arc Vector Armour
Arc Vector armour

The bike will race up the hill twice on each day of the event, and Arc founder and CEO Mark Truman will undertake most of the riding duties.

“Goodwood is the ideal place for us to show the Vector to the people for the first time in anger,” says Mark. “We’ve been testing behind the scenes and now the bike is emerging from the shadows. It is the most amazing thing both to ride and behold. Up to 150,000 are expected at the Festival of Speed, and I hope they all get a chance to see what we’ve been working on; a unique all-electric neo café racer with all sorts of kit never before seen. Goodwood is perfect because it’s a champion of new technology and a best of British event of which we very much hope to be at the forefront. It feels really great to get the chance to ride something so new and advanced on such a prestigious piece of tarmac. It also gives us the opportunity to show enthusiasts what the bike is about, let them experience this sensory world on our stand, and help them understand the philosophy and ambition behind what we believe is a truly game-changing electric motorcycle.”

Arc Vector LHF
Arc Vector

Source: MCNews.com.au

Arc Vector | New electric motorcycle taking shape

We first showed you the initial images of the promised new Arc Vector over six-months ago, but overnight the British company updated their progress on the new project.

Arc Vector RHS
Arc Vector

Having prototyped the Vector in Coventry, Arc is targeting expansion to a 65,000 square feet HQ in St Athan, South Wales, in 2020.

Arc Vector RHF
Arc Vector

Early price indications suggest a built to order price starting at £90,000 for an anticipated 399 unit initial production run for the high-end battery powered machine.

Arc Vector LHS
Arc Vector

The Arc Vector features a carbon monocoque frame and a claimed weight of 220-kilorgams.

Arc Vector Steering
Arc Vector

Innovations include hub-centred steering, a custom carbon swing arm, Human Machine Interface, Heads-Up Display, haptic alerts and one of the most energy-dense battery cells in existence.

Arc Vector Front
Arc Vector

At the centre of the Vector is its ingenious battery-module carbon monocoque where the motor and batteries are structurally integral to the monocoque, making the chassis incredibly stiff.

Arc Vector Controls
Arc Vector

Arc is one of a tiny number of OEMs to develop its own carbon swing arm, in collaboration with MotoGP manufacturers Riba, which enables lateral flex for cornering stability, grip and agility.

Arc Vector Swingarm
Arc Vector

The liberal use of carbon, and other exotic materials such as quality alloys, exposed copper detailing and aircraft-grade aluminium, helps to keep the machine’s total dry weight down to 220kg.

Arc Vector Controls
Arc Vector

Founder & CEO Mark Truman, the visionary engineer behind Arc, has undertaken the lion’s share of track testing himself at circuits and airfields around the Midlands, fettling the finer points of the Vector’s geometry and handling.

Arc Vector Action
Arc Vector

A notable design direction has been hub-centre steering. This is characterised by the steering pivot points being inside the hub of the wheel, rather than above the wheel in the headstock as in a traditional layout.

Mark Truman is the largest shareholder in Arc won the Society of Automotive Engineers International Young Engineer of the Year Award in 2005 for his experimental work on motorcycle chassis and swing arm flex and design parameters. He’s also a former Data Acquisition Engineer in top-level racing and has 35 years of motorcycling experience.


Truman explains his approach

“The system we’ve developed gives the bike low-speed control. There are a handful of manufacturers who’ve implemented hub-centre steering in the past, but they did so with an anti-dive system. Riders want the bike to dive under braking, that’s what we’re used to. For the Vector, we’ve created a system that has all the benefits of HCS but which feels like a set of forks. The advantage is stiffness which allows for a steep rake angle and a chassis that enables fast changes of direction with stability at high-speed. What we’ve devised is the best of both worlds with none of the negatives.”

Arc Vector LHF
Arc Vector

While the details provided by the company indicate that belt drive has been employed to deliver the 133 horsepower to the 17-inch rear wheel, these pre-production images curiously show the prototype as being chain driven…

The Vector’s brake discs are Brembo and the calipers are their Stylemas, but bespoke in black oxide.

Arc Vector Shock Rear
Arc Vector Rear Shock

The Ohlins suspension is entirely customisable, and the unique BST wheels are light and strong.

Arc Vector Shock Front
Arc Vector – Front shock

Anti-lock brakes have been provided by Continental and the battery package is by Delta Motorsport.

Arc is developing its own bespoke motor which they claim will save on packaging space whilst being light and very powerful with all the ECUs automotive-grade.

They also claim that their packaging of these components enables the lowest possible centre of gravity, minimal weight, sufficient cooling and a short, nimble wheelbase.

In addition to handling, a lot of development has been done on the powertrain with battery cell suppliers Samsung and on the dyno and the track in order to coax out every last drop of performance.

The cutting-edge Samsung 21-700 batteries, of which the Vector packs a vast 960, are some of the most energy dense and reliable cells on the planet and the Arc Vector is scheduled to be the first motorcycle to use them.


Arc’s Head of Electrical Engineering – Robin Boyd

“Right now, you can’t actually buy them. Samsung are prototyping and developing them, and have partnered with Arc Vehicle as part of this process. The battery cells rank as some of the most powerful of their kind and have the most longevity. With 960, the Vector has more battery cells and, in turn, power than any other electric motorcycle. A lot more. With these upgraded cells, we are extremely confident in meeting our performance and range targets.”

Arc Vector Front
Arc Vector

With a 399-volt electric motor producing 133bhp and a weight of 220kg, the Arc Vector should boast the best power-to-weight ratio of any electric two-wheeler – 650 hp per tonne.

Arc claim that the combined range will be over 400 kilometres and that the Vector will cut the 0-100 kmh dash in three-seconds flat. The top speed is claimed to be 200 km/h.

And of course due to electric power, there is no requirement for a a clutch or gears.

Arc Vector Controls
Arc Vector

Arc Vector

  • Motor: 399-volt electric
  • Performance: 133bhp
  • Torque: 148Nm (109 ftlb)
  • Weight: 220kg (kerb)
  • Seat height: 840mm
  • Price: £90,000
  • Urban Range 623 km
  • Ex.Urban Range 370 km
  • Combined Cycle Range 435 km
Arc Vector Lights
Arc Vector

Source: MCNews.com.au

Is Jaguar returning to motorcycle roots?

British car company Jaguar appears to be returning to its motorcycle roots with patents for an electric motorcycle, a hi-tech motorcycle jacket and head-up display helmet linked to the company.

The Arc Vector electric motorcycle, jacket and helmet were unveiled last year by Arc Vehicles.

However, the patent filings for some of the innovations have now been filed and assigned to Indian-owned Jaguar Land Rover which is a subsidiary of Tata Motors.

JLR’s InMotion Ventures is also a leading investor in Arc Vehicles which was founded by Mark Truman who used to run JLR Special Operations and its Whitespace skunkworks, where Arc was developed.

Does all this mean Jaguar may be making a return to motorcycles?

After all, the company started as the Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922 making motorcycle sidecars. Many other car companies, such as BMW, also started making motorcycles.

Arc Vector electric motorcycle Jaguar
Arc Vector

Or does it simply mean the intellectual property in the patents will be assigned to future Jaguars and Land Rovers?

If the latter is the case, you may ask what use drivers would have for the motorcycle jacket that sends haptic alerts to riders if a collision is imminent.

However, that technology could be used to send haptic alerts to drivers through the seat or steering wheel.

As for the head-up display helmet technology, that could be used on the car windscreens.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Arc Vector claims to be most advanced electric motorcycle

$165,000 AUD | 0-100 in 3.1-secs | 220kg

Arc Vector
Arc Vector

Recently announced motorcycle maker Arc has launched its first model, the Vector, at Milan’s EICMA Motorcycle show today with the company claiming that the Arc Vector is the most advanced electric motorcycle ever brought to market. With a price-tag starting at £90,000, that is about $165,000 AUD, it bloody well should be too!

Arc Vector
Arc Vector

The hand-built Vector has a lightweight carbon-composite structure and battery-module monocoque. Its lighter weight solves one of the headaches normally attributed to brick battery EVs, and ARC are claiming MotoGP levels of chassis stiffness.

Arc Vector
Arc Vector

The Samsung battery cells are cutting-edge and Arc claim to be the first motorcycle manufacturer with access to this technology. The battery packaging has been developed to be completely modular, flexible, and legacy-free, maximised for simplicity, space and mass-reduction. Arc’s batteries are the only motorcycle batteries tested to Reg100 standards – a test normally only undertaken by automotive OEMs.

Arc Vector
Arc Vector

The powercell produces 399 units of voltage, giving a realistic range of around 320 kilometres in urban use and 200 kilometres on the highway. The NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) showed a 600+ kilometre urban range, which is the drive-cycle often quoted by companies

Arc Vector
Arc Vector

Vector utilises carbon-fibre swingarms front and rear with suspension via custom-made Ohlins dampers. Brembo supply the brakes while the wheels are from BST.

Arc Vector
Arc Vector

The entire package tips the scales at 220kg, which is almost 60kg lighter than comparable machines. Vector has the best power-to-weight ratio of any electric motorcycle of its class by a considerable margin.

Arc Vector
Arc Vector

In raw pace, Vector rivals regular sporting motorcycles, sprinting from standstill to 60mph in 3.1 seconds and carrying on to 120mph.

Arc Vector
Arc Vector

Human Machine Interface (HMI) has been taken to a new level, comprising an intelligent rider jacket packed with haptic sensory technology and a Heads-Up Display (HUD) helmet inspired by those of fighter pilots, giving the user important information and enhancing the freedom and wellbeing of their riding experience.

Arc Vector
Arc Vector

The key to the bike is the Zenith helmet, which has been designed in collaboration with Hedon. Its connected HUD projects speedo, sat-nav and ancillary graphics onto the rider’s visor so they can keep their eyes affixed to the road, Iron Man-style. A live rear-view camera is encased in the calfskin-trimmed helmet, giving the user the ability to see what’s behind them.

Arc Vector
Arc Vector

The bespoke jacket, Origin, represents a game-changing advance in intelligent technology, making motorcycling even more immersive. HMI has been applied to the armoured ride-wear by packing the jacket with audio-type haptic amplifiers – like a smart phone’s vibration notifications, but a lot more advanced. These may vibrate to alert of a potential hazard, provide dynamic performance-based feedback, or enhance the senses when on a stimulating ride.

Arc Vector
Arc Vector

The Origin jacket, which is tailored in collaboration with style gurus Knox, has three settings. Urban Mode focuses on safety, alerting the rider to dangers such as vehicles in their blind spot with a polite tap on the shoulder. Sports Mode gives the rider feedback on the bike’s dynamic position and parameters by taking G-Force related data from the Vector’s carefully nuanced sensors and providing a graduated level of feedback. This tells the rider how close to the limit of the motorcycle’s capabilities the rider is. For example, the harder you brake the more feedback you receive.

Arc Vector
Arc Vector

Euphoric Mode lets you play music through the haptics as you ride and simulates the bass through the jacket’s amplifiers, making your hairs stand on end. It communicates with the Vector bike and the Zenith helmet wirelessly, emboldening freedom by enhancing the senses.

Financial backing has been obtained from a number of blue-chip beneficiaries, including Jaguar Land Rover’s venture capital fund InMotion Ventures, Mercia Fund Managers and the Midlands Engine Investment Fund.


Mark Truman, Founder and CEO, Arc Vehicle Ltd

“We felt that there was more one could get out of motorcycling which no one was tapping into. This is about using technology to strip back the experience of riding a bike, through the use of haptics and HUD. The helmet and jacket work in tandem with the Vector to remove distractions and emphasise the joy of riding.

“With Vector, we’ve set out to build the best performance electric motorcycle. With electric vehicles in general, the powertrain weighs a lot. This really can’t be avoided if you want capacity, distance and performance. So, it was about stripping everything back and using a lot of exotic, lightweight materials, such as carbon-fibre. The chassis and battery module had to be one, and because of this approach we’ve been able to reduce the weight as much as possible to achieve the performance we wanted. The design brief was; if the term ‘cafe racer’ was going to be coined in ten years’ time, what would that look like?

“Arc Vector satisfies those of us who are rarely satisfied, who are always looking for a different road, a different view. We understand the need to be different, to be better, and challenge the norm.”

Arc Vector
Arc Vector

 

Arc Vector Specifications

  • Build Volume – 399 in first year
  • Maximum Power 103 kW
  • Maximum Torque 85 Nm at Motor, 397 Nm at Gearbox Output Sprocket
  • Battery Capacity 16.8 kWh (Samsung Battery Cells)
  • Mass 220 kg
  • Top Speed 200 km/h
  • Range 436 km (EU Reg. 134/2014, annex VII)
  • Charging Time 30 minutes (CCS Rapid Charging)
  • Frame Carbon Fibre Monocoque
  • Front Suspension Hub-Centre Steering, Carbon fibre swing arm, Öhlins ILX36 mono-shock, 110mm wheel travel
  • Rear Suspension Carbon fibre swing arm, Öhlins TTX36 mono-shock, 110mm wheel travel
  • Brakes Brembo Stylema 4-piston monobloc calipers with 320mm floating front discs, Brembo 2-piston caliper with 240mm rear disc, Continental Advanced ABS with IMU
  • Front Wheel BST Black Diamond 5 carbon fibre wheel 120/70 ZR17 Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa II
  • Rear Wheel BST Black Diamond 5 carbon fibre wheel 180/55 ZR17 Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa II
  • Seat Height 840mm
  • Wheelbase 1438 mm
  • Rake 18.5°
  • Trail 100mm
  • Connectivity Wi-Fi and Bluetooth protocol across motorcycle, cell phone, helmet and jacket
  • Haptics ARC ORIGIN JACKET (co-engineered with KNOX), with 8x high-definition haptic transmitters HUD ARC ZENITH HELMET (co-engineered with HEDON), with wave-guide projection HUD
  • Riding Modes Road, Rain, Sport, Track, Eco and Euphoric
  • Zero-60mph Under 3.1 seconds
  • Price Starts at £90,000
Arc Vector
Arc Vector

Based in Coventry, in the centre of the UK’s automotive high-tech industry, Arc aims to be a transformative vehicle that will challenge the rider’s way of seeing and thinking.