Arcimoto expands its Fun Utility Vehicle (FUV) footprint in 2019 with its new Evergreen Edition. The “EE” serves as the flagship for the Oregon-based builder as it seeks to drive a new type of commuter market; the plug-n-play urban rider. Yeah, I say “rider” because the two-up seating is arranged in tandem and the main control is a handlebar, not a wheel, but the thing doesn't lean so it's similar to Can-Am's Spyder in that regard. A 100-mile range and interstate-capable top speed makes it suitable for most commutes, and since the charging system's power requirements are so user-friendly, you can easily plug up away from the house without benefit of charging station.

Arcimoto FUV Design

This is quite the curious machine in that it combines elements that we don't normally see together. On its face, it looks kinda like a roadster-style Delta scooter on steroids. It leads the way with a broad fairing that houses the headlights, fog lights, marker lights and turn signals in recesses scattered about its visage.

A pair of triangular windscreen extensions bracket the full-height windshield atop the wide front fairing to provide gobs of weather protection, especially if you spring for the optional West-Coast doors, but the real selling point here is the sunroof that rises from the top of the windshield. Not only does it help keep you dry in straight-down rain, but it keeps the cockpit light and airy while preserving your upward visibility. That's handy if you wind up too close to/under a redlight, but if you live in a place with a hatefully hot summer sun like I do, you're probably going to want to shade the ceiling glass some kind of way.

Inside the cockpit, a tunnel comes right up under the seat, but it leaves a footwell on both sides in scooter-like fashion with room to accommodate a six-foot-tall rider and passenger in tandem. The control grips are heated, as are the seats and that pairs with the wind protection to potentially make this a year-'round ride.

Full-height seats come with headrests and an X-style seatbelt-cum-lapbelt arrangement delivers almost auto-like comfort and keeps the crew contained in the corners. Out back, a storage locker provides some secure stowage space with room enough to make it worth your while to use it for a grocery run or to keep your books/briefcase dry on the way to the school/office. As for your jams, they are piped out to the Bluetooth speakers for your listening pleasure.

Arcimoto FUV Chassis

The chassis is kept stable by the dual front wheels mounted in roadster-like fashion with exposed welded-pipe A-frames and isolated fenders that articulate under the front suspension. Out back, a motorcycle-like, single-side swingarm-and-shock arrangement takes care of business, and indications so far are that the suspension is of the non-adjustable variety.

The contact patches fall on 80-inch centers, and the whole thing is 113 inches long overall with a 61-inch maximum width though the crew compartment is considerably narrower. At 5.5 inches off the ground, unladen, I have to wonder how well it will handle areas with steep railroad ridges without bottoming out.

Cast rims mount “square,” low-profile, automotive-style hoops that provide generous contact patches and a stable ride, but since nothing about it leans in the corners, it needs those wide contact patches to make it track in the corners. Oh yeah, and it ships at a surprisingly heavy 1,300 pounds with a GVWR of 1,800 pounds, no doubt largely due to the power storage and all that copper in the dual, front wheel-drive electric motors.

Hydraulic disc brakes do the bulk of the work, but the FUV also relies on a regenerative-braking effect that turns kinetic energy at the wheel back into electricity to be stored in the battery as a range-extending measure. You can cut the wheels a total of 40 degrees for a turning radius of 29 feet. Yeah, that's kinda' wide, but you can use the reverse to Austin Powers (K-turn) the thing if you need to.

Arcimoto FUV Drivetrain

It seems like the factory is keeping a lot of its cards close to the vest in the drivetrain department. Dual electric motors deliver 81 horsepower, and while the factory doesn't publish a figure, I can practically guarantee that it will put out over 100 pound-feet that is all there as soon as you twist the throttle.

A lithium-ion battery stores enough power for trips of up to 100 miles with a top speed of 75 mph, but I suspect you'll have to choose one or the other; I can't imagine it will do 100 miles at interstate speed. A handy-dandy charging cable plugs into 120 V or 240 V from a household source for easy recharging, though Acrimoto fails to disclose how long a full charge takes to soak in. It'll do 0-to-60 in 7.5 seconds, so it's good for a cheap thrill and will definitely get out of its own way. Operation is shiftless with a reverse feature that makes parking, and de-parking, a breeze.

Arcimoto FUV Pricing

The current projected price on the FUV Evergreen is $19,900. Since it's due for a summer 2019 release, the best you can do for right now is to place a pre-order. Some folks bought into the program early, and when they did, they thought they were buying a $12,000 machine. That was supposed to be the base model. Imagine their surprise...

Arcimoto FUV Competitors

Wow, how do you find a serious competitor for such a unique ride? I mean, there's the Doohan iTank from SSR Motorsports but it's more of a scooter proper, and it rocks a leaning-type front suspension that makes it handle more like a bike than the stable Acrimoto platform. Oh, and I can't forget the Can-Am Ryker, but it runs an internal combustion engine and is far more capable. Then there's the C Evolution from BMW, and while it is an electric, it's also a two-wheeler, so it's in a different class of vehicle. Sure, there are some knockoff electric trikes out there, but none of them are worthy of mention here, as far as I've seen. The roof and the doors are real game changers here, as they will no doubt protect you from everything but that sideways rain.

He Said

“Now, I'm not saying I want one, but I can see this as a viable alternative to ICE transportation, to an extent. At 20 K, it has a lot of competition from a number of quarters, and I can't help but wonder if that will be its downfall. You'd have to really want something like this to pay that much for it but hey, whatever floats yer boat, skipper.”

She Said

My wife and fellow motorcycle writer, Allyn Hinton, says, “The FUV was formerly the SRK. I like it a lot. I can absolutely see me scooting around town in one of these and always late to my destination because people want to stop and talk to me about my ride. I'm a bit concerned, though, when no less than 10 NHTSA recalls hit my email one morning for the FUV. Some were benign, such as a missing certification label. Some were definitely safety related: excessive braking distance, seats collapsing in a crash, brake fluid leaking. And a few others seemed like a redesign would be needed to correct: headlights too far apart and turn signals positioned incorrectly. Recalls also came in for premature failure of the gearbox and unexpected battery shutdown. So I don't know what's going on at Arcimoto, but I do hope they work everything out. I think this is an absolutely fun ride.”

Arcimoto FUV Evergreen Specifications

Further Reading

Doohan iTank

See our review of the Doohan iTank.

Can-Am Ryker

See our review of the Can-Am Ryker.

BMW C Evolution

See our review of the BMW C Evolution.

Arcimoto

Read more Arcimoto news.