Development Stand on any busy street corner and watch the cars go by. Over and over, 4,000 lbs. of vehicle steel rolls past, carrying just one person, maybe two. Ask those folks where they’re going and it could be a 5-mile trip to the store, or a 10-mile morning commute. Tack on fuel and maintenance costs, and the expense of wasted resources and energy adds up quickly for the individual and multiplies across the whole of society. Why haul around thousands of extra pounds of steel and cubic yards of unneeded space for daily commutes, a trip to the grocery store, or on a movie date? It's time to rightsize our footprint. Since 2008, we've designed and built seven generations of vehicle prototypes as part of an iterative vehicle development program aimed at finding a more sustainable, more affordable and radically more enjoyable way of getting around on daily trips. We're now heads down cranking hard on Generation 8 – the template for the vehicle we'll bring into production. Generation 1: The Vision Arcimoto's first prototype, an open air model with a configurable rear section. Generation 1 is fun to drive and incredibly efficient with space and materials. A lack of any protection from the elements and other objects limited the appeal and utility of this concept. Generation 2: The Footprint This prototype generation established a stable and efficient footprint on the road. The single occupant is balanced between the three wheels, and the vehicle is zippy and fun to drive yet still a significant improvement in environmental efficiency compared to the standard automotive form. This second prototype also features a primitive enclosure frame and partial protection from the elements. Generation 3: The Pulse With a reasonable footprint established, the development team began to define the essential characteristics of the first product. Two seats in tandem, a variety of enclosure options, established environmentally efficient footprint. At the same time, the team began building the Pulse, Arcimoto's 3rd generation of product development. Built on the third generation Arcimoto platform and constructed with custom bodywork and parts from a recycled Yaris, the Pulse was to highlight, using very familiar materials and methods, the unique Arcimoto platform and company story. Arcimoto launched the Pulse September 23rd, 2009. Generation 4: The Platform For the vast majority of drivers out there - statistically something like 76% of them, the Pulse concept actually fit with how they use cars now. Driving alone to the grocery store for a gallon of milk. Commuting to school, work or the gym. Going golfing on the weekend. After the launch of the Pulse, Arcimoto began the engineering process to turn the concept into an actual market-ready product. Generation 4, code-named "Darkwing" established and validated a unique new electric vehicle platform. Prototype #4 sports a front wheel drive system, comfortable ergonomics for two passengers and a very low center of gravity. Generation 5: The First SRK The team then took all the ideas from the first 4 generations and brought them together in a single product prototype called the SRK, launched in spring 2011. Generation 5 was the first blueprint for a market capable vehicle topology, but still far from a production ready vehicle. Generation 6: The First Mule After the launch of the first SRK, the development team began the process of optimizing every aspect of the vehicle architecture: we built an improved, lower cost drive train, made significant reductions in vehicle mass and center of gravity position, and built our first lithium chemistry power pack design. The team built the Generation 6 prototype mule to validate the enhancements in the design. Generation 7: The First Pilot Generation 7 was the final arc of the platform development that began after the launch of the Pulse: what was just a concept vehicle had evolved into a production-intent design. Arcimoto developed significant technology improvements in the battery packaging system and drive train at the same time the mechanical and industrial design of the platform saw continued refinement. This is the vehicle design Arcimoto intended to deliver to its first customers. Generation 8: Full Circle Late in the Generation 7 build process, we conceived a fundamental breakthrough to radically improve yet again the Arcimoto product offering: lighter weight, lower cost, better acceleration, longer range, better ergonomics. Generation 8 occupies nearly the same footprint as our very first prototype at the same time it eclipses the capabilities of anything we've built before. We're now going full throttle to prove Generation 8 on the road and move expeditiously towards the marketplace. © Copyright 2015 Arcimoto . All Rights Reserved.