A company called Lit Motors has been at work for the past few years (since 2012) on what they say is a new kind of vehicle – the C1. What they’re proposing is basically a self-balancing enclosed motorbike that actually works.
It’s still in early prototyping phase but as you will see in the videos below, the potential is definitely there. The exposed metal skeleton you see now will be covered up by an aerodynamic body which has apparently been styled “with input from major automakers.”
The C1 manages to stay upright using two large gyros on the bottom, spinning in opposite directions. They’re so powerful it can withstand a sideways impact from an SUV and not tip over, therefor theoretically making it safer than a narrow vehicle of similar design but with at least three wheels.
Power will obviously be all electric and what will differ from these basic mules is the addition of second seat. It will be placed in a tandem position, similar to what you see in a Renault Twizy.
The founder of the company, Danny Kim, hasn’t announced the official delivery start date, but they are accepting preorders and an price estimate has been made public – $24,000, not including possible incentives. According to a recent interview eHowTech did with Ryan James from the company’s marketing department (first video), they may begin production by the end of this year.
The C1 is not the only product Lit Motors is planning on selling – they also showed the Kubo Cargo Scooter which you can check out in the last video.