Arcimoto’s fun-looking open-air electric vehicles are becoming more accessible than ever now that the company is working with REEF to offer easy rentals for riders.
REEFDrive, the newly-launched zero-emission vehicle-sharing program, has just announced that it’s partnering with Arcimoto to rent out the three-wheeled Fun Utility Vehicle (FUV) and Deliverator models.
REEF, which is active in over 30 cities, is starting the FUV rollout in Santa Monica, California.
The goal is to allow riders to “easily rent a zero-emission FUV or Deliverator to run errands, make deliveries, or simply explore the beautiful beaches and surrounding city.”
As Arcimoto founder and CEO Mark Frohnmayer explained:
“We are thrilled to join forces with REEF, which leads the country in transforming parking lots into modern destinations, connecting the community with everything from REEF delivery restaurants and retail shops to micro health clinics—and now, Arcimoto vehicles.
This is a perfect fit, as REEF provides the real estate and infrastructure, and we provide our innovative electric vehicles at an affordable price that makes driving electric as accessible as possible.”
REEFDrive pricing to rent an FUV begins at $1.00 to start the ride, and then $0.46/min thereafter, with the last 30 minutes of every hour for free.
If my math is right, that puts an hour of riding at around $15. Certainly cheaper than an Uber and a lot more fun too!
And compared to a cost of around $18,000 to actually buy the vehicle (or closer to $12,000 if the company reaches its scaling goals), that sounds like a much more economical way to get into the driver’s seat of an FUV.
Arcimoto’s electric three-wheelers are head-turners wherever they go thanks to the innovative design and eye-catching open cabin layout. The FUV isn’t just fun to look at though – it’s also a blast to ride. Riders experience speeds of up to 75 mph (121 km/h) and plenty of power from a pair of motors totaling 77 horsepower (57 kW).
I had the chance to test out an FUV earlier this year – an experience that I am absolutely dying to repeat as soon as I can.
Check out how much fun I had in the FUV and its Roadster cousin in the video below.
REEFDrive will also apparently be renting out Tesla Model 3s, though with a slightly higher price of $0.56/minute.
While Tesla Model 3s are certainly more plentiful than the low-production Arcimoto FUVs, it still makes the vehicles much more accessible to those who wouldn’t otherwise have the chance to drive a Tesla.
Electrek’s Take
As I mentioned, these Arcimoto 3-wheelers are a blast to ride (drive?) and so it’s awesome that they’re becoming even more accessible via these rental programs.
Due to the still somewhat low-volume production, the high price of an FUV means most people won’t ever get the chance to try them, which is a real shame. But for just a few bucks, a program like this can put curious riders at the controls quickly and easily.
Adding Teslas and potentially other vehicles into the mix will also be an interesting proposition for REEFDrive.
If you can rent electric kickscooters by the minute, why not electric three-wheelers and full electric cars?
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Author: Micah Toll
Source: Electrek
