Update from Persu

[Derwin]

Well, I received this email from Phil Oseas, the CFO / EVP Finance of Persu Mobility. No major announcment or anything, though. He is simply stating that they have officially filed the paperwork to enter into the XPrize contest. (Didn't we already know this? du:n:n:o()

Anyway, here is his email....


Derwin,

I can’t recall when we last spoke, but I wanted to give you a quick update that you can share with the fan club members.

We have been busy at Persu Mobility focusing our efforts on many things including: (i) chassis engineering to make sure the Persu Hybrid chassis is robust enough for the North American market as the Carver chassis was not designed for high volume production or the North American market, (ii) regulatory matters in various states to ensure existing motor vehicle laws (i.e., helmet laws and motorcycle licenses) are favorable to our customers and (iii) developing strategic relationships with potential suppliers and manufacturers.

I can’t recall if our last conversation was before or after we filed the X-Prize application, but I wanted to confirm that we did indeed file our X-Prize application in a timely manner and look forward to participating in the competition.

As soon as we have something newsworthy to share with the public, we will make a formal announcement.

Thanks again for your ongoing patience and support.

Phil Oseas
CFO / EVP Finance

[RAN]

How about something newsworthy like a running prototype ffs?????

... tick...tock....

[AZEqualizer]

He is simply stating that they have officially filed the paperwork to enter into the XPrize contest. (Didn't we already know this?



Well, actually last time we heard they had intended to file the paperwork before the deadline... we never knew if they made it or not.

[Derwin]

Well, last time I spoke with a member of Persu on the phone, they stated that they had the paperwork ready, and assured me that they would be filing for the XPrize contest. I guess I just took them at their word on that.

But, you are correct, we now have official verification that they "actually" filed the paperwork and are IN the contest.

Yeah, it's good news. Now I want to see them WIN! 2thumb:up

Derwin

[rogwild]

But, you are correct, we now have official verification that they "actually" filed the paperwork and are IN the contest.

Yeah, it's good news. Now I want to see them WIN! 2thumb:up
Derwin

Good News indeed!:whoohoo:
Although they have 'submitted' the paperwork; we will have to wait about 30 days (according to the X-Prize people) to see which of the last minute applications are 'accepted' (or returned for further documentation) to be sure that PM is actually "IN". But they have had over a year to get their paperwork correct, so I don't anticipate any 'problems'.

I just want to see a vehicle that 'Tilts' and 'Runs'!:burning:rubber:

[Mark Tomlinson]

Actually, I think items (i), (ii), and (iii) (written like a true CFO) are somewhat noteworthy. All three take time and resources, but the first and the last are critical for building the Pursu.

We all know that building the Pursu is more than just changing out the Carver's drive train. But I was unaware that there were manufacturing issues. It makes sense if you figure that the Carver is hand built and the Pursu is going to be mass produced.

And developing vendor relationships is critical if they are going to make the thing affordable. Tesla, for instance, couldn't get a reliable gearbox until they contracted with Borg Warner. But Borg Warner wouldn't sign with them until Tesla proved they could prove they would need enough gearboxes to make it worth Borg Warner's time. Even so, I imagine the gearbox costs a ton and Tesla buries it in the cost of the car. The cost will probably go down when they start production of the sedan. I can't imagine how hard it is for Pursu to get things as mundane as custom tail lights in the quantity they need them.

[Miracleman89]

Excellent point!! There are probably numerous custom items they will need to have made from individual suppliers! That in and of itself is probably a very daunting task. Just keeping up with what supplier will make what and who you still need to meet with..... Thank God for organized secretaries! LOL

[Derwin]

Good News indeed!:whoohoo:
Although they have 'submitted' the paperwork; we will have to wait about 30 days (according to the X-Prize people) to see which of the last minute applications are 'accepted' (or returned for further documentation) to be sure that PM is actually "IN".


o:o:p:s12 Sorry about that! I forgot that their application now must be "accepted" by the people at the XPrize contest.

Let's keep our fingers crossed! v:i:c:t;o;ry1)

Derwin

[waboom]

I agree - I don't think we've seen anything that would prevent Persu from being accepted into the X-Prize (not that we've really SEEN anything from Persu, but you get what I mean), but we'll hold off on the real celebration until X-Prize people publish the final list of participants.

I know that they've been doing (iii) since almost the get-go, and it definately is time-consuming for (i) - not only for the chassis, but for all the other components to be translated from hand-assembled to mass-assembly, but (ii) peaked my interest a bit. I know we have the section of the FAQ (http://flytheroadclub.com/forums/faq.php?faq=vvaval#faq_will_i_need_a_motorcycle_li cense_motorcycle_helmet) that covers helmets and details the various restrictions that a Persu driver could face in various states, but would someone be willing to update this? I know a few states have updated their rules since the last time it was updated (CA and MA come immediately to mind.) Then there would be a single place people could go to to get the answers to:
Can I register this in my state?
Do I need a motorcycle license?
Do I need a helmet?
Can I ride this in the carpool lanes?

Also, (since I'm already asking for stuff, might as well ask for more), make the list include all 50 states, with "unknown" inserted for the ones we don't know about yet. Easy way to view how far we have to go.

[Mark Tomlinson]

Excellent point!! There are probably numerous custom items they will need to have made from individual suppliers! That in and of itself is probably a very daunting task. Just keeping up with what supplier will make what and who you still need to meet with..... Thank God for organized secretaries! LOLLOL, for sure. It takes more than a secer... er, an administrative assistant to handle this. It takes lawyers and finance people to hammer out the details then it takes people trained in logistics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logistics) to make sure the parts get where they need to be when they need to be there.

They'll probably contract that last part out until they are big enough to bring it inhouse. But to give you a clue how hard it is, when Tesla Motors was rotating through CEOs one of them had a background in international logistics (including teaching it at a university level) because that's what they needed to keep the company afloat.

[Miracleman89]

LOL, for sure. It takes more than a secer... er, an administrative assistant to handle this. It takes lawyers and finance people to hammer out the details then it takes people trained in logistics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logistics) to make sure the parts get where they need to be when they need to be there.

They'll probably contract that last part out until they are big enough to bring it inhouse. But to give you a clue how hard it is, when Tesla Motors was rotating through CEOs one of them had a background in international logistics (including teaching it at a university level) because that's what they needed to keep the company afloat.


But can you imagine having to contact all the different suppliers and build relations with them! In the beginning keeping track of who's who and what's what!!!!!! Holy..... Thank God for sec.. ahem sorry, administrative assistants!