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Lit Motors

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Lit Motors Inc.
Company typePrivate
IndustryTransport
FoundedFebruary 2010; 14 years ago (2010-02)
FounderDaniel K. Kim
HeadquartersSan Francisco, California, U.S.
Key people
Daniel Kim
ProductsElectric vehicles

Lit Motors Inc. is a San Francisco-based startup founded by Daniel K. Kim in 2010. Lit Motors designs conceptual two-wheeled vehicles with a focus on innovative technologies, including the AEV (Auto-balancing Electric Vehicle), often referred to as the "C-1," a fully electric, gyroscopically stabilized vehicle,[1] and the Kubo cargo scooter.

The inspiration for Lit Motors came to Kim in 2003, when he was injured by a chassis while manually assembling a bio-diesel Land Rover Defender 90.[2] This experience led Kim to "chop a car in half," leading to the creation of the C-1 concept.[3]

Since 2011, the company has developed a number of prototypes, but as of July 2024, has not given an exact release date for a production model.

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Lit Motors has been sued by four early investors, resulting in approximately $300,000 in legal judgments against Lit Motors and an arrest order against Kim for failure to appear at court hearings related to these lawsuits.[4][5][non-primary source needed] On January 7, 2020, a San Francisco court granted a motion assigning Lit Motor's US patents to the plaintiffs in this lawsuit and restraining Lit Motors from selling its patents.[6] Later in January a settlement was reached and paid, and the patents were reassigned back to Lit.

Designs

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AEV / C-1

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C-1

Early in 2010, the company revealed a non-functioning show model of the C-1. This version showcased an enclosed two-wheeled vehicle self-balanced by two single-gimbal control moment gyroscopes,[7] to be powered by lithium iron phosphate batteries. Design specifications and computer renderings indicated that it could hold a second passenger seated in the area directly behind the driver’s seat in a semi-reclined position, with their legs straddling the front seat.

Similarly to a motorcycle, the original C-1 design has two wheels, but uses a small steering wheel instead of handlebars. The show model featured direct-drive in-hub motors in both wheels designed to provide a high amount of torque, stability, and traction control, while allowing for the body form to be about half the size of a car. However, recent prototypes show neither wheel with direct drive, indicating that the design may be undergoing changes.[8][9]

Safety features are intended to include a steel unibody chassis, seat belts, airbags, and a gyroscope stability system.[1]

Release Balancing gyroscope Torque Gyroscope Spin Up Motor Output Top Speed Range per charge Charge time
N/A 800Nm[10] <70 seconds 2 x 20 kW 100+ mph 170 miles* 4-6 hrs

*Range per charge based on a constant speed of 60 mph, coefficient of drag of 0.2, and battery capacity of 13kWh, according to information on the company’s Wefunder page.[11]

Production timeline

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In 2011, the company announced plans for a first small production run in 2013, with the intention of selling the C-1 for $16,000.[12] This initial price would vary depending on the state and federal tax incentives available at the time. The company began taking pre-order deposits through a tiered system priced from $250 to $10,000.[13]

At the November 2012 Gigaom Roadmap Conference, a Lit representative said that the company had "another couple years’ engineering work before it's really ready to go on a small scale production. By a couple, I mean a year, two years or so, and then another couple years after that to scale to a big manufacturing."[14] In a later interview by Gigaom, Daniel Kim stated that the C-1 was still about 2 to 2.5 years from production,[15] indicating an expected production time frame of May - November 2015.

In May 2014, in an article by Forbes, Kim said that the company was “working around the clock to get something that is ready for production within eight months,” with 20 full-time employees at Lit at the time the article was published.[16] Lit continued to post updates in 2015 showcasing an early-stage development prototype.

On March 14, 2015, Kim was involved in a motorcycle accident on the Laguna Seca Raceway.[17] Kim suffered numerous injuries, necessitating an extended hiatus from leading development on the C-1 as he recovered. In February 2016, Forbes released an article on Lit Motors that discussed the effect of Kim’s injuries on development and included a new production timeline: "Today [Daniel Kim] is close to securing a new round of funding–a year later than planned. The money will be used to facilitate the next challenging stage of growth: building infrastructure from the ground up. His plan is to have a production-ready prototype in 24 months."[18]

On May 24, 2016, at the Pioneers.io Festival, Danny Kim presented on the Lit AEV stating, "I know that if we put 20 million dollars into our bank account today, we'll be able to deliver it in 2 years - 24 months."[19] A September 22, 2016 Forbes article speculated on Lit Motor's past and future, suggesting a possible future acquisition by Apple. Forbes also commented on the lack of progress due to low fundraising: "Despite Kim’s grand vision, few investors were willing to bet on the company. In six years, Kim has raised less than $5 million."[20] During 2016, Lit Motors removed the ability to accept pre-order deposits. Company postings throughout the rest of 2016 on social media continued to show a rough model "EP-4" prototype driven at low speed.

In 2018, Lit temporarily ceased email newsletters and social media updates. In mid-September, Lit launched a reconfigured website, though with no new progress updates.[21] The website would receive additional[22] changes[23] in the following years.

On April 1, 2022, Lit Motors began posting company updates on their website, with the first post on their blog summarizing company developments that had occurred in the last few years: Kim returning to the company in 2019 after recovering from his motorcycle accident; the company relocating to a design lab in Portland, OR; and the hiring of new personnel, including new VPs for Controls, Embedded Systems, and CMGs. Lit closed out the post by announcing a new funding goal of $9 million to develop a fully drivable prototype.[24]

In January 2023, Lit announced that they would be reopening preorders in February of the same year, with a goal of 10,000 pre-order sales by 2026.[25] Also in February, Lit announced a partnership with Mirko Konta, the CEO of Ideenion.[26] Later, in June, Lit was granted a patent[27] for a new control system developed for use in future C-1 prototypes. In August, Lit announced the hiring of Stefan Schäper, an ex-Audi employee, as the VP of Chassis and Integration.[28]

On February 20, 2024, Lit Motors launched a fundraising campaign on Wefunder with a funding goal of $5 million.[29] As of July 2024, they have raised approximately $1.3 million of this goal.[11] On April 1, 2024, Lit announced the development of a new “pathfinder” chassis to serve as “a low cost iteration exploring our new vehicle architecture and validate our new embedded and balance system at a standstill.” [30]

Kubo

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The Kubo is a cargo scooter design dubbed the "pick-up truck of the developing world."[31] Initial designs were for a fully electric scooter run on lithium iron phosphate batteries, designed to carry cargo boxes measuring up to 22 in. by 22 in. by 22 in. and weighing up to 300 pounds. With a top speed of 35 mph, it would have a range of at least 50 miles per charge.[32] In an interview from May 28, 2013, Kim detailed the Kubo design as using lithium polymer batteries with a 40-45 mile range, with the ability to use the cargo space to hold additional batteries to extend the range to 200 miles. He claimed that by summer of 2013, a small production run of 5-10 units would occur, followed by 100–1,000 units in another 6 months time, before ramping up to 50,000 - 200,000 units for full production. He also claimed a selling price of $500–$800USD in China, and $2,000–4,000 in the United States.[15]

In December 2013, Kubo was launched on Kickstarter with July 2014 delivery expected, but Lit Motors fell far short of meeting its funding goal with only $56,667 pledged of the $300,000 goal.[33] Despite only 10 backers having pledged between $5,000 and $6,000 to purchase the Kubo scooter, Lit Motors affirmed that they are "definitely continuing with kubo!" in an update on the campaign. As of July 2024, current information on the company website is limited to basic details about the vehicle and its purpose.[34]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Lavrinc, Damon (2012-05-29). "Exclusive: This Is the Gyro-Stabilized, Two-Wheeled Future of Transportation | Autopia". Wired. Wired.com. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
  2. ^ Carpenter, Susan (2012-05-26). "Lit Motors hopes its C-1 becomes new personal transportation option". Tribune Newspapers. Archived from the original on June 17, 2012. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
  3. ^ Daniel Kim. "Fortune Presentation". YouTube. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
  4. ^ Title: NIKITA KOZLOVSKI VS. LIT MOTORS CORPORATION ET AL, Case No. CGC19573844, Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco
  5. ^ YANIV GELNIK ET AL VS. LIT MOTORS CORPORATION ET AL, Case Number: CGC17563414, Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco
  6. ^ Court Order dated January 7, 2020, Case No. CGC19573844, Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco
  7. ^ "Lit Motors unveils all-electric, fully enclosed motorcycle". YouTube. 2011-09-12. Retrieved 2012-08-06.
  8. ^ "Gyro-stabilized electric motorcycle hits road". Los Angeles Times. 2012-10-16. Archived from the original on 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2012-12-11.
  9. ^ "It will take a 'baby elephant' to knock over this bike". Click (TV programme). 2012-12-11. Retrieved 2012-12-11.
  10. ^ "CMGs for Self Balancing Motorcycle" (PDF). Cayuga Astronautics. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  11. ^ a b "Invest in Lit Motors: Revolutionary Self-Balancing 2-Wheeled Electric Car". Wefunder. 2024-02-20. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
  12. ^ "Lit Motors unveils all-electric, fully enclosed motorcycle". Youtube. SmartPlanet. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  13. ^ "World's First Gyroscopically Stabilized Electric Motorcycle: Virtually Uncrashable?". Discovery Channel. 2012-03-21. Archived from the original on 2012-05-01. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
  14. ^ "Lit Motors C-1, fully-electric, self-balancing, two-wheeled vehicle at Gigaom Roadmap #roadmapconf". ARMdevices.net. 12 November 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  15. ^ a b "Green Overdrive: Lit Motor's Electric Folding Scooter". Youtube. Gigaom. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  16. ^ "Two-Wheeled Electric Vehicle Builder Lit Motors Finds Funding From Mark Pincus And Kelly Slater". Forbes. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  17. ^ Chown, Jon (2 May 2016). "Racetrack Blamed for Horrendous Accident". Courthouse News Service. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  18. ^ Liane Yvkoff, What immobility taught this transportation CEO about mobility, Forbes, 18 February 2016
  19. ^ "A mobility sensation on two wheels". Pioneers.io. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  20. ^ Mac, Ryan. "This Is The Larry Page-Backed Electric Motorcycle Startup That Apple Might Buy". Forbes. Retrieved 2016-10-22.
  21. ^ "Lit Motors, Inc. | Rekindle the Excitement". Archived from the original on 2018-09-20.
  22. ^ "Lit Motors". Archived from the original on 2019-03-29.
  23. ^ "2-Wheeled Car | Litmotors". Archived from the original on 2022-07-25.
  24. ^ "Resurrection: an Open Letter". Lit Motors. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  25. ^ "January 2023: Happy New Year!". Lit Motors. 1 January 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  26. ^ "Mirko Konta: Our Newest Advisor". Lit Motors. 1 February 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  27. ^ "Integrated Control Method for Balancing a Two-Wheeled Vehicle Using Control Moment Gyroscopes and Drive-by-Wire Steering Systems".
  28. ^ "Chief Engineer, Stefan Schäper, Joins the Team". Lit Motors. 22 December 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  29. ^ "We've launched an equity crowdfunding campaign 🚀". Lit Motors. 20 February 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  30. ^ "Building a pathfinder chassis 🛠️". Lit Motors. 1 April 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  31. ^ "Lit Motors' Foldable Electric Scooter Is A Cargo Carrier For Developing Nations". Trendsupdates.com. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved 2012-08-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  32. ^ Domenick Yoney. "Lit Motors looks to light up electric vehicle market with cargo scooter" (video). AutoblogGreen. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
  33. ^ "Meet kubo: an electric scooter to carry all your stuff!". Kickstarter.com. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
  34. ^ "Kubo Scooter".
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