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December 2024 Newsletter
- Jee Kim
- Apr 4
- 3 min read
Dear Lit Motors Community,
We want to express our sincere gratitude to all of you who continue to follow our journey and to those who support our mission. We couldn’t have made this much progress in 2024 without you!
As we’re quickly approaching the new year, we encourage you to continue your support of our beta prototype development through our Wefunder campaign as we enter the final four months of this equity crowdfunding phase.
We have some great updates to share with you this month. Let’s get to it!
New Video!
Stefan Schaeper - Beta Prototype Development Steps
We’ve got a new video to share from Danny’s trip to Ideenion last month!
In it, Stefan explains the design process Ideenion will be following, including an explanation of what vehicle components need to communicate with each other and how they are going to create the vehicle’s package plan.
Check it out here!
Sub-Scale CMG - Arizona
In last month’s update, we mentioned we had some custom PCB’s being fabricated for us. These have been completed and delivered to Mike over in Arizona and he has integrated them into the sub-scale model and began
validating the embedded controls code.
Our system is coming together beautifully! All the boards are communicating seamlessly, and the motors and gimbals are operating exactly as expected.
We've validated the Kalman filters, and we're now achieving reliable basering
angle and velocity estimates.
The final step ahead is validating the remaining control logic and diving into testing. To start, we’ll conduct a simple yet effective test: placing a tray atop the sub-scale model and introducing weights as disturbances. The Control Moment Gyroscopes will then work their magic to maintain balance. Stay tuned for the results!
Dirty Mule Developmental Chassis - Portland
We’ve successfully fabricated and assembled the front and rear suspension for the dirty mule chassis in Portland. With the suspension in place, our next steps involve planning and applying the final welds to all chassis joints.
Before welding, we added additional braces to minimize potential warping during the process and ensure proper alignment of all our mounting points. Although we expect there to be some warping, we want to do our best to mitigate it as much as possible for the critically defined areas
Also, to address the challenges of welding in difficult positions, we’ve decided to design custom mounts and brackets that attach to an engine stand, allowing us to rotate the chassis for a more ergonomic and efficient welding process.
The design went through a few iterations of CAD and performing an FEA (Finite Element Analysis), which helped to validate the design will operate under the expected loads.
We completed the initial design and moved onto mocking it up in foam core, after test fitting the foam-core mock-up, we moved onto cutting out the pieces required and started welding them up.
We expect to have the mounts completed soon and have also started adding larger tack welds to parts of the chassis in parallel.
Automotive Unibody Chassis - Ingolstadt
Our partners at Ideenion are making excellent progress on the next prototype!
As a Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV), the AEV requires a thorough process to define the key requirements shaping its final architecture and design.
Ideenion is working hand-in-hand with Creative Director Natalia Amijo to ensure seamless integration of the exterior package with the unibody chassis. This is a crucial step and a key milestone in the process.
Defining the exterior package and chassis will pave the way for component selection using modern, industry-standard equipment. They’re also collaborating closely with the Portland Lab, exchanging valuable data to enhance the ‘Dirty Mule Developmental Chassis’ and drive innovation forward.
New Fractional CMO / Key Advisor!
We'd like to give a warm welcome to Bryan Rodrigues! Bryan is a global marketing leader with 25+ years of experience building brands and driving go-to-market and demand generation across a diverse set of industries including sportswear, education, gaming, IoT, fintech, and more.
With roles at Nike, Reebok, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Electrolux, Tile, and multiple other venture-backed startups, Bryan has driven the creation of numerous new categories and brands, and launched hundreds of new products and services. His expertise in creating new categories and brands and driving consumer adoption of new technologies will be valuable additions to the Lit Motors skillset.
Thank you all once again for your support, encouragement, investments, and your belief in us this year, which has helped to make this year incredibly productive and exciting!
2025 is shaping up to be even more productive, and we can’t wait to share updates on our progress throughout the new year!
Danny Kim
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