If you’re a company releasing a groundbreaking new vehicle, it’s in your best interest to hype it up before the release. And most do, with a slew of renderings, testing footage and slick videos. It gives the people something to get excited about, and plan for, if they’re looking to buy.
So what gives, Arc?
The British company just unveiled the electric Vector motorcycle, its first product, at EICMA in Milan, and we wish we had a little heads-up since they plucked it straight out of our TRON wet dreams.
Admittedly, that movie reference is tossed around a lot in connection with electric motorcycles, but this one lives up to the futurism — the only old-world connections are the design cues taken from classic British café racers.
Otherwise, Vector is state-of-the-art in three parts, all of which are included with purchase:
- Vector: The bike itself has a lightweight carbon-composite structure and new battery cells from Samsung; Arc claims it’s “the first motorcycle manufacturer with access to this technology.” From this, according to a press release, the Vector will run at 399 volts, have a “realistic” range of 200 miles, a 0-60 time of 3.1 seconds and a top speed around 120 MPH. Other specs include a weight of only 485-lbs., carbon swingarms on both the front and rear ends, and Brembo brakes on BST wheels.
- Zenith Helmet: The complementary helmet, included with purchase, features a connected heads-up display and was designed with their fellow Brits at Hedon. The information projected onto the visor includes speed, satnav, and a live rear view via an in-helmet camera.
- Origin Jacket: A tailor-made smart jacket, also included, that integrates Human Machine Interface and was designed in partnership with Knox. It pairs traditional armored protection with haptic sensory technology that will vibrate “to alert of a potential hazard, provide dynamic performance-based feedback, or enhance the senses when on a stimulating ride.”
Of course, this all sounds orgasmic, but the reason we’re so chuffed (to borrow their lingo) is the team and investors behind it.
The Arc troupe is a mix of vets from Aston Martin, KTM, Ducati, Triumph and MotoGP. But CEO Mark Truman is the fearless leader, having previously helmed the White Space skunk works at Jaguar Land Rover.
In fact, Arc was born at the automotive behemoth, but as Truman writes on the website, “Jaguar Land Rover were unable to pursue it internally, but they loved the idea so much they asked us to pursue it outside with their support.” That support comes by way of their venture capital fund InMotion Ventures, which is just one of Arc’s blue-chip backers.
The best part of all, though? Arc is currently accepting deposits for the first Vectors to roll off the line. They’ll set you back a not-so-cool $118K for the three-part package, with 399 bikes (a nod to the voltage) projected for the first year.
We can’t tell you how fast these’ll be snapped up, but we can tell you if we had $118K to burning a hole in our pockt, we’d reserve the Vector stat — after reading through all the fine print, naturally.
All photos courtesy of Arc
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