Hi Rider,
Today we continue with our important Wildfire update. Here you will find everything explained in detail by me in a 20-minute video update:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6yP2ZdXTXU
And here you will find a brief summary of what happened in October & November and what the next steps are:
Documents still being processed
The submission of the homologation documents is still missing. I'm currently working on the documents, but haven't managed to finish them yet. As you can imagine, we have a lot on our plate at the moment, so I haven't managed to complete this point yet.
But that's not actually bad news, because the documents can only be handed in once an inspection has been carried out anyway. Only then can we act as a manufacturer and hand in our homologation folder. This means that even if I haven't finished it yet, there will still be no delays.
Probably no inspection necessary
In October, we started the process for the inspection, but not at the Federal Motor Transport Authority in Belgium, but in Sweden (STA).
Why are we doing the approval in Sweden? Because the Swedish STA probably doesn't need a second inspection, but can accept our first inspection from the KBA in 2021. This of course saves us time and money.
As soon as we receive the final decision from the STA, I will of course mention it in the update. As soon as the STA confirms that no inspection is required, we can hand in our homologation folder. That means I have to finalize our documents by then at the latest.
When will the Wildfire be built?
We won't be able to build the first Wildfires in November. The parts are a little late because wehave made some small changes to the final Wildfire . I actually wanted to present the first production models in this update to show you the final changes in detail. Unfortunately, I only have renderings for you at the moment. The first real Wildfires will be available in December.
You can find out exactly what these changes are in the video. But here is an overview of the most important improvements.
As there were only a few points of criticism at our last roadshow in October, we also wanted to improve these points so that every customer receives the best Wildfire from day 1:
6.6 kW charger no longer looks out on the left
As you can see in the rendering, the 6.6 charger is no longer visible on the left. We have now completely integrated the charger into the Wildfire . This means that every Wildfire, regardless of the charger, looks completely the same from the outside. You always have the perfect knee closure
No more door upgrades necessary
Every Wildfire now has removable batteries. All you have to do is remove the tank with 3 screws. The batteries are then simply pulled out upwards. And so that nobody can steal your batteries, there is a secure U-lock for the batteries inside the tank.
PS: Everyone who has ordered the door upgrade will receive a refund from us.
Stiffer frame
Thanks to the new way of removing the batteries, we have now been able to make the Wildfire 's "exo-frame" stiffer. This improves the tipping behavior even at slow speeds.
Type 2 connection under the seat
The tank is now just a dummy tank. The type 2 connection has been moved to the left under the seat and is located under a small door (like the left-hand storage compartment). This means there is no longer a fuel filler cap that can be stolen. And if you unscrew the tank to remove the batteries, there is no longer a type 2 connection on the tank.
Larger storage compartment opening
The volume of the storage compartment has remained the same, but the opening of the storage compartment has now been made larger to make it easier to put large items in,
Tank is more stable
Some found that the tank was not flush with the frame, you could reach under the tank and the edge of the seat was sometimes noticeable. We have improved this too. The tank is now rounded and flush with the frame and it is no longer so easy to reach underneath. The tank is now attached with 3 screws instead of 4 and is now more stable on the frame (no wobbling). You can also no longer see any wiring under the tank, the wiring is now under a cover. And the tank is now closer to the seat so that you have a better knee fit.
Tank & seat form one line
If you look at the photos of the last Wildfire , you will see that the tank was 2 cm lower than the seat. Now the tank and seat form a line. Both run at the same height.
The next update will be in December, when I will introduce you to the first Wildfires. And hopefully there will also be new information from the licensing authorities. If you have any questions, just send us an e-mail ;)
Cheers, Viktor
