Northern Light Motors update 07/2022
First of all, apologies for the radio silence. We have been extremely busy and wanted to have a clear idea of status and direction before putting news out.
The past year has been really frustrating as we and our suppliers were placed in and out of lockdowns. Even now, we are at the mercy of disrupted supply and escalating costs. In some cases, the materials and parts we need have almost doubled in price. As a result of this, we have had to adjust our prices.
Customers who placed deposits prior to this escalation will be rewarded for their loyalty when we discuss your preferred specification. And new customers still get the best velomobile available at a fraction of the cost of traditional offerings. The good news is that we have built our first two production intent vehicles.
Transmission
Whilst we have been engaging with customers and potential customers globally, we have often heard concerns about the legality of the series hybrid in certain territories (e.g. Canada, Israel). We have also had many customers voice their concerns about remote maintenance implications of the series hybrid system. The NLM series hybrid drive is fully developed but the stated concerns along with escalating costs and associated weight has forced us to reconsider the viability of the system for now. Although it may become available in the future and be retrofittable.
The primary reason for pursuing the series hybrid in the first place was to avoid a long, heavy and noisy chain drive in the cockpit. In the background, we have been looking at alternative drives throughout the development process and have now settled on a linear-swing pedal system that transmits your effort via two Dynema chords to two freewheel clutches mounted inside the rear bulkhead. The final drive is by traditional chain with a 10 speed derailleur. A bit like having a rowing machine attached to each foot.
This system is very lightweight and has no traditional pedals or crank. Instead, the feet are mounted into Velcro foot straps. The “pedals” are mounted to the ceiling of the monocoque so, as with the seat, the structure of the body is used rather than adding internal heavy structures for support. This means that we can transmit your power efficiently for little weight and have the further benefit of gears. The system is also very simple, so can be maintained locally. In addition, no adjustment is required as the stroke is dictated by the user. It is even possible to pedal with both legs at once, to increase power for setting off on hills for example.
Interior
The prototype 428 had a tiller steering linkage. In order to improve ergonomics, we have opted for a butterfly wheel on the production units. Images of this new layout are attached. This setup has an adjustable linkage to tune lock to lock geometry, along with steering weight and speed. The display is mounted on the wheel along with lights, indicators and horn switches. Everything at your fingertips.
The seat is a mesh hammock that is suspended from the monocoque and has around 8 inches of vertical height adjustment. The caribena attachments at the rear allows quick adjustment and easy access to the rear luggage compartment. Total luggage capacity is now 180 litres, not including the areas at either side of the seat and the roll hoop cavity. As illustrated in red.
Models
We are still offering three models. The 428 now comes with the roof, lights and loom as standard but is pedal only. We have had many enquiries for an option that allows the fitment of the customers preferred hub motor and battery. This was previously impossible with the series hybrid, but is now.
The 557 will be supplied complete with a hub motor to suit your local legal requirements. So 250W UK and Europe, 500W in Canada and 750W in the USA. A bluetooth controller is available as an option.
The 630 will be supplied in the UK only for now and be road registered. The bluetooth controller will restrict the top speed to 28mph. We are planning to use inward investment to gain full European approval for the 630 and it will be available with pedals or without.
Status
The production tooling is now complete and we have built the first two production intent vehicles that have just been displayed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. We are currently testing these vehicles to verify that the improvements that we have made since the initial prototype are robust. We expect customer builds to start soon and currently have an approximately 6 month waiting period for new orders. We are in talks with investors to enable us to speed up manufacture and hope to have further news on this in the next few weeks.
Thank you all again for your support, understanding and interest. The product is looking great and should not disappoint.