SWNSAn electric motorcycle which looks like it has zoomed straight out of a Marvel movie has been hailed as one of the most advanced bikes ever made.
This space-age bike connects the rider with the road; with creators using Iron Man-esque digital technology to build a Heads-Up Display (HUD) Zenith helmet and a super intelligent Origin biker jacket.
The Arc Vector debuts at Milan’s EICMA Motorcycle show on November 6, and marks the very first model to be produced by Coventry based engineering specialists, Arc.
The calf-skin trimmed helmet has been specially designed to include speedo, sat-nav and ancillary graphics; all projected onto the visor. The helmet also includes a live rear-view camera, cleverly allowing the rider to see behind them.
Complete with armoured ride-wear, the jacket has Human Machine Interface (HMI) and audio-type haptic amplifiers, compared to the vibration notifications used everyday on smartphones.
These vibrations can inform the rider of any potential hazards and can even provide performance-based feedback. For those who enjoy a thrill-seeking ride, the vibrations may work to stir the senses while out on the road.
SWNSThe stylishly tailored Origin jacket can play music and can also inform the rider of how close they are to the limit of the motorcycle’s capabilities; based upon factors such as how hard they brake.
Arc’s founder Mark Truman, who has likened the genius team at Arc to The Avengers, said:
We felt that there was more one could get out of motorcycling which no one was tapping into.
This is about using technology to strip back the experience of riding a bike.
The HUD and haptics of the helmet and jacket work in tandem with the Vector bike to remove distractions and emphasise the joy of riding.
SWNSWith a lightweight build, The Arc Vector is believed to have the best power-to-weight ratio of any other electric motorcycle in its calibre by a long way.
Truman explained:
With Vector, we’ve set out to build the best performance electric motorcycle,
With electric vehicles in general, the powertrain weighs a lot.
This really can’t be avoided if you want capacity, distance and performance.
So, it was about stripping everything back and using a lot of exotic, lightweight materials, such as carbon-fibre.
The chassis and battery module had to be one, and because of this approach we’ve been able to reduce the weight as much as possible to achieve the performance we wanted.
The design brief was; if the term ‘cafe racer’ was going to be coined in ten years’ time, what would that look like?
SWNSTruman added:
We’ve taken a wide-angle view of what mobility in the future could be and, using some big ideas and immense agility, we have brought it into the present.
We are building the Vector for people who are on a journey, and we want people to continue taking those journeys in the future when the world’s use of internal combustion engines is restricted.
An exhilarating ride this may be, but – with a price tag of at £90,000 – you may well need the bank account of Tony Stark himself in order to have a go yourself.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.