Vectrix was an
electric vehicle
An electric vehicle (EV) is a vehicle that uses one or more electric motors for propulsion. It can be powered by a collector system, with electricity from extravehicular sources, or it can be powered autonomously by a battery (sometimes cha ...
company based in
Middletown, Rhode Island
Middletown is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,075 at the 2020 census. It lies to the south of Portsmouth and to the north of Newport on Aquidneck Island, hence the name "Middletown".
History
Vari ...
, United States, with research and development facilities in
New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. Up throug ...
and an assembly plant in
Wrocław
Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...
, Poland. Vectrix ceased all US operations as of December 31, 2013.
The company filed for bankruptcy and final liquidation in March 2014.
Scooters
Introduced in 2006, the Vectrix VX-1 was a maxi-size
scooter, and was the first commercially available high-performance
electric scooter.
It was capable of over , and was reached in a little under 7 seconds, with maximum
torque
In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational equivalent of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). It represents the capability of a force to produce change in the rotational motion of th ...
available from zero rpm, a characteristic of
electric motor
An electric motor is an Electric machine, electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a Electromagneti ...
s. It has under 250 parts, compared with 2,500 for a conventionally powered scooter, and has a range of up to at .
In the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands and Slovenia, the Vectrix is exempt from paying
road tax
Road tax, known by various names around the world, is a tax which has to be paid on, or included with, a motorised vehicle to use it on a public road.
National implementations Australia
All states and territories require an annual vehicle registra ...
.
The Vectrix scooter uses
NiMH batteries with a manufacturer-claimed life of 10 years and 1,500 recharges.
The 125-volt battery pack has a capacity of 3.7 kW·h and can be recharged to 80% in two hours from a standard domestic power socket. The battery can also be partially recharged through
regenerative braking
Regenerative braking is an energy recovery mechanism that slows down a moving vehicle or object by converting its kinetic energy into a form that can be either used immediately or stored until needed. In this mechanism, the electric traction mo ...
.
Replacement cost of the battery is estimated to be around $3,000, almost one third of the cost of the bike.
In June 2008, Vectrix indicated that it planned to test lithium ion battery packs based on
lithium iron phosphate battery
The lithium iron phosphate battery (LFP (lithium ferro-phosphate), or Li-IP) is a type of lithium-ion battery using lithium iron phosphate () as the cathode material, and a graphitic carbon electrode with a metallic backing as the anode.
Becaus ...
technology, in an agreement with
GP Batteries International Limited of Hong Kong.
In the fall of 2008, Vectrix announced an expanded product line with two lower-priced bikes: The VX-1E was projected to arrive March 2009, with the VX-2 following in June 2009. Pre-production models of both bikes were shown at the New York International Motorcycle Show in January 2009 and also at Birmingham Motor Show, but they never entered production due to the company ceasing trading.
Concept vehicles
Vectrix showed a
superbike
A sport bike (sports motorcycle, or sports bike) is a motorcycle designed and optimized for speed, acceleration, braking, and cornering on asphalt concrete race tracks and roads. They are mainly designed for performance at the expense of comfor ...
concept vehicle
A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle, show vehicle or prototype) is a car made to showcase new styling and/or new technology. They are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or m ...
at the 2007
Milan motorcycle show
EICMA (''Esposizione Internazionale Ciclo Motociclo e Accessori''), or the Milan Motorcycle Shows is an annual trade show in Milan, Italy featuring motorcycles
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-w ...
, to be produced if 500 deposits were received.
In 2012 New Vectrix (re)-unveiled the super bike prototype at the SWISS-MOTO 2012 show in Zürich, Switzerland, announcing that they are taking orders and may produce the bike with as little as 200 pre-orders.
In 2008, Vectrix announced a 3-wheeled version of the Vectrix Maxi scooter.
Testing by prospective users
The
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...
announced in December 2007 that it will be testing vehicles from Vectrix with the goal of replacing its current gasoline-powered scooters.
The Government of Canada purchased in August 2008 a vehicle from Vectrix with the goal of testing and evaluating a fully electric compliant open motorcycle's energy consumption, range, and additional road testing parameters. This environmental initiative is part of Transport Canada’s ecoTECHNOLOGY for Vehicles (eTV) program.
First bankruptcy and reorganization
In July 2009 Vectrix Corporation laid off all but essential staff, this followed several months of announcements of financial problems. Analysis of corporate financial results showed the company listed expenses for each bike sold larger than the income earned. On September 28, 2009 the company announced a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in Delaware and that a New Vectrix might buy the assets of Vectrix to recapitalize a new company. In late 2009 its assets were sold to
Gold Peak
Gold Peak Industries (Holdings) Limited is a Hong Kong-based battery manufacturer established in 1964. They have been listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange since 1984. The Group has built few brand names for its major product categories, suc ...
battery group, allowing the company to relaunch.
New Vectrix
For much of 2010 the company rehired old and new staff and began supporting old owners with issues again. As 2011 rolled around Vectrix introduced the VX-2 and the VX-1 Li/Li+ into the product line showing at some shows and updated on their website. The VX-1 Li is the same as the original bike but using lithium batteries of 30-amp hour capacity, for similar range and performance in a lighter bike. The Li+ has a 42-amp hour capacity, giving greater range. The VX-2 is designed as a smaller, lighter and less expensive version of the original bike for those who don't need freeway speeds or the weight of the original. Though it has similar range to the original, its top speed is less than half, but so is the price.
In 2012, Vectrix entered into a distribution agreement with
Peirspeed Peirspeed is an American importer and distributor of parts for motor scooters. They previously had imported scooters from Taiwan-based TGB and an underbone motorcycle from Sachs Motorcycles
Sachs Bikes International Company Limited (SFM GmbH) is ...
to distribute Vectrix electric scooters in the U.S.
Loss of European distributors
In October 2013, Vectrix lost its French distributor Italmotori after allegations of failing to ship scooters, batteries, and scooter parts required for repairs under warranty.
In addition, in November 2013 a French automotive magazine after confirming that Italmotori was the third distributor (after Euromotor and Vectrix France) to cease representing Vectrix, reported that Vectrix appeared to be abandoning two models, its VX-1 and VX-3.
A dealer in Portugal, Fuel Free Motors, asserts that they still will offer support for Vectrix scooters.
Shutdown of US operations, final bankruptcy filing and liquidation
In January 2014 Vectrix ceased all US operations.
After numerous manufacturing problems resulting in failed batteries and nonfunctioning scooters, Vectrix's parent company
Gold Peak
Gold Peak Industries (Holdings) Limited is a Hong Kong-based battery manufacturer established in 1964. They have been listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange since 1984. The Group has built few brand names for its major product categories, suc ...
, a Chinese battery manufacturer, decided to close down Vectrix's US facilities.
Vectrix intended to maintain its Poland fabrication plant in order to continue to supply parts for its joint venture with Daimler's Smart division.
In March 2014 Vectrix filed for bankruptcy again, this time under
Chapter 7 Chapter 7 may refer to:
Albums
* ''Chapter Seven'' (album), a 2013 album by Damien Leith.
*''Chapter VII'', a 1973 album by drummer Buddy Miles
George Allen "Buddy" Miles Jr. (September 5, 1947February 26, 2008) was an American composer, drum ...
for liquidation of the company. The court filings indicated assets of between $1 and $10 million and liabilities of between $10 and $50 million. The bankruptcy trustee announced an auction of the company's remaining assets, including unsold scooters, parts, and lithium batteries, to take place in June 2014.
Vectrix US and PL assets acquisition
During the liquidation process the MPTECH group acquired the majority of the Vectrix US assets from the bankruptcy trustee and relocated them to
Wroclaw, Poland. Six months later, the entire assets of the Polish fabrication plant were acquired by MPTECH group and part of the heavy production equipment sold to
GOVECS in order to expand their production capabilities.
In June 2015, the MPTECH group restarted the production of the VX-1 and VX-2 models, equipping them with completely new battery and electronics, internally design and produced.
Since the restart of operations, the new Vectrix company has re-established part of the former distribution network, restored supplier network, restored the spare parts availability, and begun market expansion plans.
References
External links
Official website(
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash (formerly Macromedia Flash and FutureSplash) is a multimedia Computing platform, software platform used for production of Flash animation, animations, rich web applications, application software, desktop applications, mobile apps, mo ...
)
{{Polish motorcycle manufacturers
Electric scooters
Green vehicles
Motorcycle manufacturers of the United States
Motorcycle manufacturers of Poland
Motorcycles introduced in 2006