Vectrix was an
electric vehicle
An electric vehicle (EV) is a motor vehicle whose propulsion is powered fully or mostly by electricity. EVs encompass a wide range of transportation modes, including road vehicle, road and rail vehicles, electric boats and Submersible, submer ...
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
Issue ...
, United States, with research and development facilities in
New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. At the 2020 census, New Bedford had a population of 101,079, making it the state's ninth-l ...
and an assembly plant in
Wrocław
Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...
, Poland.
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 analogue of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). The symbol for torque is typically \boldsymbol\tau, the lowercase Greek letter ''tau''. Wh ...
available from zero rpm, a characteristic of
electric motor
An electric motor is a 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 electromagnetic coil, wire winding to gene ...
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 was 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 regist ...
.
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 or potential energy into a form that can be either used immediately or stored until needed.
Typically, regenerativ ...
.
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 ( battery) or LFP battery (''lithium ferrophosphate'') 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 t ...
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 sports motorcycle, sports bike, or sport 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 or show vehicle) is a car made to showcase new styling or new technology. Concept cars are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not ...
at the 2007
Milan motorcycle show, 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 City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...
announced in December 2007 that it would be testing vehicles from Vectrix with the goal of replacing its current gasoline-powered scooters.
The Government of Canada purchased a vehicle from Vectrix in August 2008 with the goal of testing and evaluating a fully electric motorcycle's energy consumption, range, and additional road testing parameters. This environmental initiative was part of Transport Canada's ecoTECHNOLOGY for Vehicles (eTV) program.
New Vectrix
For much of 2010 the company rehired old and new staff and began supporting old owners with issues again. In 2011 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 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 Technology Group Limited, formerly Gold Peak Industries (Holdings) Limited, is a Hong Kong–based multinational corporation which is established in 1964 and has been listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange since 1984. The Group has ...
, 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 Seven refers to a seventh Chapter (books), chapter in a book.
Chapter Seven, Chapter 7, or Chapter VII may also refer to:
Albums
* Chapter Seven (album), ''Chapter Seven'' (album), a 2013 album by Damien Leith.
* Chapter VII (album), ''Ch ...
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
Wrocław
Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...
, 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
{{Polish motorcycle manufacturers
Electric scooters
Green vehicles
Motorcycle manufacturers of the United States
Motorcycle manufacturers of Poland
Motorcycles introduced in 2006
Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009
Companies that filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2014
Companies that have filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy