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January 2025 Newsletter
- Jee Kim
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Happy New Year!
Thank you all who continue to follow our journey and to those who support our mission!
Since 2010, we’ve raised a total of $9M in funding. As we make progress on our beta prototype development, we’re continuing to raise funds through our Wefunder campaign as we enter the final months of this equity crowdfunding phase.
We will need to raise $10M more this year to complete the beta prototype production. We couldn’t have made this much progress without you and we encourage you to support our mission this year!
We have some great updates for you this month. Let’s get to it!
Portland : A New Munich
What do Munich, Germany and Portland, Oregon have in common? They do share a fondness and reputation for beer, but is that all?
In this new video, CEO Danny Kim and members of the Lit Motors team talk about the company's plan to transform Portland into a technological and economic giant, and create a new Munich on the West Coast.
The rise of the automotive industry brought Munich to prominence as the technological centerpiece of Germany and one of the biggest economic hubs in Europe.
By basing AEV production in Portland, Lit Motors would help build Portland's cultural richness and technological prowess, similar to the way the automotive industry has done so for Munich.
We believe that Lit Motors can propel Oregon's technological and economic growth in much the same way.
Portland: A New Munich.
Leap of Faith
Danny Kim, Lit's founder and CEO, talks about how the company got to where it is today, what keeps him motivated on this journey, and the power of having a strong team and a supportive community.
Check it out here!
Sub-scale Updates
Subscale Demonstration
Exciting news from the sub-scale team - with development on the project nearing completion, Dave Bailey has created a simulation of how the sub-scale gyros will respond to various situations.
Think of it as his Babe Ruth moment - he’s calling his shot now by predicting how the sub-scale works. When the sub-scale is functioning, we’ll not only be able to validate our control model, but also our team’s ability to accurately simulate the operation of our gyros.
Watch it here!
Subscale Model
For the physical sub-scale model, Michael Bailey has made progress with the integration of the control logic. The Matlab code has been completely translated to C++, and Mike has implemented a gimbal motion test sequence to move the sub-scale gyros back and forth with variable rates and acceleration.
The data from this test sequence will be collected and analyzed to help with some additional tuning for the control logic, and will also allow us to anchor Dave's simulation with real data.
While Michael Bailey focuses on refining the controls loop, we’ve begun planning and implementing hardware upgrades for the sub-scale model. These upgrades include motors, bearings, and a power supply designed to align with the requirements of a full-scale gyro assembly, ensuring a seamless transition in the future.
To accommodate higher spin rates and enhance gimbal efficiency, we’re replacing many 3D-printed components with aluminum. Some parts, like the bearing plate currently in progress, will be machined in-house, while more complex components may be outsourced.
We’re also upgrading the electronics, including plans for an aluminum mounting plate and 3D-printed ESD-safe enclosures to protect the system. These updates will bring us closer to achieving a robust and scalable design.
Prototype Chassis Update
Over the holidays, our engineering team in Portland completed fabricating the custom mounting arms for the engine stands and added a few more structural supports before mounting the chassis to it.
With the chassis supported by the engine stands, we've been able to rotate the chassis as needed for better ergonomics when adding more welds and easier access to hard-to-reach places.
We started by adding some additional, larger tack welds to every joint, making sure to go back and forth between opposite faces. Throughout the process, we’ve been making sure to perform periodic checks on the chassis frame to keep track of any warping and remedy any defects as quickly as possible.
We wrapped up the month with the Portland team welding up the remaining areas of the chassis. We’re now going over the entire chassis to visually inspect all of the welds to determine if any areas need correction or touching up. Once that is complete, we’ll be ready to integrate the sub-systems that our partners at Ideenion are currently developing in parallel. Completing the welding of the dirty mule chassis is a big milestone and will help us get closer to testing and validating the full scale Control Moment Gyroscopes that are being developed based on the data and findings from the sub-scale model.
We’re also getting ready to move on to the next phase of the dirty mule development. A key focus will be the landing mechanism, a critical sub-component that works in tandem with the gyroscopes. While development for the control-moment gyroscope controls progresses, we’ll begin development on an updated landing assembly.
This developmental chassis in Portland is lighter and has a slightly longer wheelbase compared to the previous prototype, which gives us some room to reduce volume and improve performance. This will be an intermediate step in the overall process as Ideenion continues with the full vehicle concept.
Operations
With significant progress in our engineering developments and an expanding team, our Executive team has been diligently refining our strategy and planning.
This ongoing effort ensures that our roadmap aligns with our technical achievements, keeping us focused on delivering a groundbreaking product. This also enables us to manage resources better based on critical milestones.
Through close collaboration with our engineering partners, we’re adapting our plans to integrate new designs, tackle challenges, and remain at the forefront of industry innovation. Exciting things are on the horizon!
Thank you all for your support, encouragement, investments, and your belief in Lit Motors’ mission! We can’t wait to share more updates with you this year!
Danny Kim
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