Lit C1 ...would you have one?

[v8250]

http://litmotors.com/c-1/

I would, long term this is the way forward for general motoring. Similar in concept to the Carver.

http://www.carver-technology.com/

[kambites]

If it was priced right, I'd certainly consider it as a commuter vehicle.

[MX7]

http://litmotors.com/lit-news/

Like it.

[v8250]

kambites said:

If it was priced right, I'd certainly consider it as a commuter vehicle.

target price $24,000 / £15,000

[LuS1fer]

No.
It's too long so parking it is going to be the same issue.
It has inferior visibility to a motorbike and I can see a few of these colliding on dual lane bends or the encapsulation leading riders to perhaps ignore the more obvious risks inherent in motorcycling producing a "skittle effect" as it slides on diesel across the road.

It also looks useless for any luggage or even one passenger so is still inferior to a motorbike. OK, it keeps you dry but I can just imagine the insurance premium after a fe have slid under cars.

[Mr Gear]

Demonstration of the power of the gyroscopes was extremely impressive.

I always thought that the BMW C1 (name...coincidence?) was way ahead of its time and due a re-think. If it wasn't dynamically flawed, it could have been the next big thing. BMW are now scared of the idea.



But a motorcycle with more passive safety feature is interesting. You can't add side-impact protection and seatbelts to "normal" motorbikes, but you can to this.

My main question would be about the practicalities of filtering and parking. And does the gyro mean that it refuses to lean properly in a corner?

[Alfanatic]

Looks funky, like it could potentially be lots of fun carving up a b-road, but 15k would finance two cars for me - a commuter and a toy.

That's much too expensive for a dedicated commuter, it's not multipurpose enough - or silly enough - for the money.

[Big Fat Fatty]

I like their cargo scooter, I think that makes more sense than the C1 does but both are great ideas.



It's a pizza delivery boy's wet dream

Edited by Big Fat Fatty on Tuesday 11th December 12:27

[300bhp/ton]

v8250 said:

http://litmotors.com/c-1/

I would, long term this is the way forward for general motoring. Similar in concept to the Carver.

http://www.carver-technology.com/

Kinda cool if you have loads of money and can just buy it for a bit of fun or as a toy. But far too 1 dimensional for real use. It's to wide to whip in and out like a bike can, so you'll have to drive it like a car. But getting 2 people in looks to be pita and it has no scope of getting your shopping home.

In short you'd be better off with a smart ForTwo or similar type of vehicle.

[k-ink]

I submitted pretty much exactly this design for a magazine competition many years ago. I even detailed the use of a gyroscope (as used in rc helis) to control solenoid adjusted balancing weights for stabilisation. Never heard back from the competition.

[kambites]

v8250 said:

kambites said:

If it was priced right, I'd certainly consider it as a commuter vehicle.

target price $24,000 / £15,000

Hmm, probably not for me then. If they could somehow get it under 10k, I'd consider it, but at more than twice the price of a perfectly decent city car, it's pushing it.

[Alfanatic]

300bhp/ton said:

Kinda cool if you have loads of money and can just buy it for a bit of fun or as a toy. But far too 1 dimensional for real use. It's to wide to whip in and out like a bike can, so you'll have to drive it like a car. But getting 2 people in looks to be pita and it has no scope of getting your shopping home.

In short you'd be better off with a smart ForTwo or similar type of vehicle.

Exactly right. If it was 5k or less, it would make sense as someone's only form of motorised transport. At 15k it's only ever going to join someone's fleet of luxury (I mean barge and sports) cars, I can't see it replacing the car in a single or double commuter car household. Like you say, it's too 1 dimensional. Too focussed, and that focus is not on a use that I can imagine many people willing to pay 15k for.

[300bhp/ton]

v8250 said:

kambites said:

If it was priced right, I'd certainly consider it as a commuter vehicle.

target price $24,000 / £15,000

Umm quite a pricey, so firmly a toy for the rich then. Needs to be 50% of that or under.

[dtmpower]

Mr Gear said:

I always thought that the BMW C1 (name...coincidence?) was way ahead of its time and due a re-think. If it wasn't dynamically flawed, it could have been the next big thing. BMW are now scared of the idea.

The C1 failed to gain popularity in the UK - as the driver/pilot/rider was not exempt from wearing a motorcycle helmet.

[v8250]

300bhp/ton said:

v8250 said:

kambites said:

If it was priced right, I'd certainly consider it as a commuter vehicle.

target price $24,000 / £15,000

Umm quite a pricey, so firmly a toy for the rich then. Needs to be 50% of that or under.

Agreed. It appears their main target market is the US and Asia, proposing to have manufacturing site in, most likely, India. This makes good sense. With volume production they would be able to get RRP down to $15,000 / £10,000. The reports read so far is that they're wanting to 'crack' the commuter market where the majority of commuters drive a four seat vehicle with only one person using the car for the journey. As people, we do hold onto our privacy and independence when commuting rather than openly car share which would make one of these perfect for the daily work runs.

Would be huge fun having Tron-like drives each day...or even better, Pod Racers ala Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace. But that's just the big boy in me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dcqnEFIw3A

[MX7]

v8250 said:

kambites said:

If it was priced right, I'd certainly consider it as a commuter vehicle.

target price $24,000 / £15,000

I don't think that this qualifies for a government grant either, so it could have a significant disadvantage over here.

[300bhp/ton]

v8250 said:

Agreed. It appears their main target market is the US and Asia, proposing to have manufacturing site in, most likely, India. This makes good sense. With volume production they would be able to get RRP down to $15,000 / £10,000.

Down or up? You do realise you can buy a moped or compact car for a lot less money right?

v8250 said:

The reports read so far is that they're wanting to 'crack' the commuter market

Not with prices like that and again due to being 1 dimensional.

e.g.

v8250 said:

where the majority of commuters drive a four seat vehicle with only one person using the car for the journey.

But in many cases this same vehicle then doubles up as a family vehicle at other times, or at least needs to be able to carry more than one person. How about when you go to the supermarket and have 10 bags of shopping to get home, or maybe the garden centre with a tray or two of bedding plants?

v8250 said:

As people, we do hold onto our privacy and independence when commuting rather than openly car share

Well no it's not likely privacy but cost in time and money and convenience. I don't object to giving someone a lift, but so far I've never worked anywhere, where I actually pass by where other workers live, or indeed I don't live near to where they do. Is adding miles, time and burnt fuel onto a journey really a sensible thing to do when others can make their own way while still retaining the freedom a car offers?

v8250 said:

which would make one of these perfect for the daily work runs.

In an ideal theoretical world maybe. I however can't see it for any commute I've done so far really. Not even going down to the train station as again it'd be pretty useless should I stop off at the shops on the way back.

v8250 said:

Would be huge fun having Tron-like drives each day

I wonder how such a vehicle would cope with ice, frost and snow? A gyroscope can only do so much, but what happens when you go beyond those limits?

[v8250]

300bhp/ton said:

stuff...

we take it you won't be buying one.

[300bhp/ton]

v8250 said:

we take it you won't be buying one.

Priced right I actually could be tempted. But it would be a cost driver, not because it's cool or I'm deluding myself that I'd be saving the planet

But like the Wizzy it just don't seem to fill any brief apart from being added to a rich persons garage collection. Which I think is a shame.

But you never know, you might end up with a genius having an off moment of madness and start proposing utter bullst ideas like letting 2 vehicles occupy and overtake each other in the same lane of a busy motorway - because evidently it's such a safe sensible thing to do and nobody ever has bad lane discipline on the roads today

[acme]

Mr Gear said:

Demonstration of the power of the gyroscopes was extremely impressive.

I always thought that the BMW C1 (name...coincidence?) was way ahead of its time and due a re-think. If it wasn't dynamically flawed, it could have been the next big thing. BMW are now scared of the idea.

Can you explain why the C1 was dynamically flawed? BTW this isn't the usual PH dig, I'm genuinely interested in your comment.

From memory they only had a 125cc four and as mentioned elsewhere you had to wear a helmet - seemed to be quite popular in London though.

Cheers