Arcimoto and Faction unveil a ‘driverless’ 75 mph three-wheeled electric delivery vehicle

Arcimoto teamed up with Faction to announce the new Faction D1 electric delivery vehicle based on the Arcimoto FUV, but with updated tech to make it driverless.

However, the duo are playing a bit fast and loose with the term “driverless.”

Technically yes, there’s no driver in the vehicle. It’s just three wheels, an electric drivetrain, and plenty of room for cargo.

But there’s a human operator that controls the vehicle using teleoperation – basically an extremely fancy and expensive full-size RC car.

As Arcimoto describes it, Faction’s DriveLink™ and TeleAssist™ technologies are used to “combine autonomy with remote human teleoperation.”

While Faction’s technology turns the three-wheeled vehicle into a driverless pod, Arcimoto’s tech is what powers the actual transportation.

It retains the same drivetrain as Arcimoto’s well-known Fun Utility Vehicles (FUVs), meaning it can travel at a top speed of 75 mph (121 km/h). The range is rated for up to 100 miles (160 km) while transporting 500 lb (227 kg) of cargo.