Jump to content

Draft:Marcus Hays

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  • Comment: In preparing this draft, I disclose that AI assistance was used as follows: The first draft submitted was written using claude. The current draft is rewritten by me. Please note that the Wired citations are two different ones. They flip to same at scrolling. I have provided how sources meet notability guidelines at the talk page. Thank you! JaceMal (talk) 10:48, 19 October 2026 (UTC)


  • Comment: A rather obvious LLM submission here, and we can't allow AI / LLM supported drafts. The last sentence, I suspect, was intended for the editor, rather than publication, which suggests this draft also has not been fully checked. ChrysGalley (talk) 07:04, 15 September 2026 (UTC)

Marcus Hays is an inventor, designer and EV veteran[1][2][3]. Hays has designed several electric-powertrain technologies[4] and set electric-motorcycle land-speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 2006 and 2007[1].

Education and early career

[edit]

Hays studied Transportation Design at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California[1]. His early work on the alternative-energy public transit vehicle "21st Century Taxicab" was noticed by CALSTART (an advanced transportation hatchery) in the mid-1990s[1]. He later worked with Lee Iacocca and Paul MacCready on electric mobility projects[4][5]. Defender, one his early works, was showcased in Greater Los Angeles Auto Show in 1994[6]. Dianne Klein of the Los Angeles Times called it "a retooled, reinforced cop car" that "will win no beauty prize"[6]. Bob Mack, who test-drove it with Coolio for Vibe, found that "all of the Defender's sexy extras" were "not installed in this particular model"[7].

PiCycle

[edit]

Hays started work on the Picycle in 2000[8]. The bike was built from an off-the-shelf extrusion rolled into a four-inch tube[8]. The bike uses NiMH cells hidden in the arch frame[9]Pi had disc brakes and three way mode switch including Electricity, pedal power or assisted pedal power[9] The initial version 'Pi' was launched in 2007[10]. Reviewing a preproduction Pi for the Los Angeles Times in 2007, Susan Carpenter found it "more aesthetic than athletic, but overall, it was an impressive machine", and noted that the batteries, housed in the curved frame, sat high enough that she was aware of their weight.[10] Darren Murph of Engadget called it "a more unorthodox design" than other hybrid bikes,[11] and Charlie Sorrel of Wired Online wrote that it seemed "to owe more to vintage motorcycles than to the modern pushbike"[12]. In Wired's print edition, Eviana Hartman pointed to its price of about $8,000 and wrote that "what you're really paying for is flashy design".[13] Popular Science singled out its 750-watt motor and a continuously variable transmission that shifts "seamlessly and automatically"[14].

Reviewing the PiCycle for the Los Angeles Times in 2009, Susan Carpenter called it "an exceptional art piece that is both practical and affordable" and found it agile in corners, though on the steepest part of her test hill the motor needed help from her pedaling.[15] Ariel Schwartz of Fast Company wrote that Pi Mobility's bikes "look like nothing you've seen before" but "still aren't cheap"[16]. DEVELOP3D in 2011 wrote that on first seeing it "you can't help doing a double take", and reported that the bike had reached serial production more than a decade after Hays's first sketch[8]. Roy M. Wallack, also in the Los Angeles Times, listed it as "stable, fast, exhilarating and attention-getting" but "very heavy at 60 pounds", a weight he said went unnoticed with the motor on.[17] The North Bay Bohemian found the bikes "surprisingly functional" and wrote that "the only obstacle with the PiCycle is its price tag".[18]

Ring Drive Wheel technology

[edit]

Hays and co-inventor Scott Streeter developed the Orbis Ring Drive Wheel, a hubless wheel in which a small electric motor turns a ring gear on the rim through a pinion, in place of a motor at the hub[19][2]. The aim was a powered wheel that weighed no more than a conventional aluminum wheel and removed the need for a traditional driveline[2][19]. Earlier projects included motors for a wheelchair and an electric scooter[19]. MotorTrend wrote that driving the rim lowers the torque needed to turn the wheel, and that a large brake rotor set close to the rim lowers the braking force needed[2].

In 2018 Orbis showed a Honda Civic Type R with ring drives on its rear wheels at the SAE World Congress[19]. In October 2018 MotorTrend reported that the two motors added about 100 horsepower and it reached 60 mph, 1.7 seconds quicker than its own unassisted run and 0.4 seconds quicker than the magazine's fastest standard Civic Type R, despite carrying 342 pounds more.[20] The session ended when a fuse blew[20]. Markus expected the electrical faults to be fixed but doubted the long-term durability of the rollers that run on the rim, which became very hot during the test[2][20]. Rain Noe of Core77 called the wheel "technically impressive" but said it would be less attractive if fitting it meant removing the rear seats.[21]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 4 Weaver, Stephanie (2023-03-31). "Re-Inventing the Wheel: Marcus Hays | The Vintagent". Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Reinventing the Wheel - Technologue". MotorTrend. 2018-05-20. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  3. ↑ "Marcus Hays Inventions, Patents and Patent Applications - Justia Patents Search". patents.justia.com. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  4. 1 2 Quackenbush, Jeff (2026-03-16). "Why this Santa Rosa firm is betting big on AI data center cooling". The Press Democrat. North Bay Business Journal. Over the years Hays has built and patented multiple electric-powertrain technologies and set electric-motorcycle land-speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats Land Speed Record Trials." "He began his career after design school at the CalStart Advanced Transportation Hatchery in the mid-1990s and later consulted for the late auto industry icon Lee Iacocca on electric mobility projects. Hays also worked with pioneering aeronautical engineer and EV innovator Paul MacCready, developer of the GM EV-1 electric car and founder of unmanned aerial vehicle maker AeroVironment, which has a Petaluma facility.
  5. ↑ Ackerman, Elise. "The Story Of The Schiller X1, The World's Most Radically Redesigned Bicycle". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2026-10-03. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  6. 1 2 "Defensive Driving : Vehicles: A car for road warriors is unveiled at L.A. auto show. Its looks are plain--like a retooled police car--but it's designed to leave occupants unscathed even after a hail of gunfire". Los Angeles Times. 1994-01-14. Archived from the original on 15 September 2026. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  7. ↑ Mack, Bob (August 1994). "Fantastic Voyage". Vibe (magazine). Eventually it dawned on us that all of the Defender's sexy extras were just that: not installed in this particular model.
  8. 1 2 3 Holmes, Stephen (2011-03-02). "The power of Pi". DEVELOP3D. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  9. 1 2 Sorrel, Charlie (2007-10-01). "Pi Electrobike: Expensive, Eccentric and Enchanting". Wired. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  10. 1 2 Carpenter, Susan (2007-09-26). "The Electrobike Pi electric bicycle is plug and play". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015.
  11. ↑ Murph, Darren (2007-09-28). "Electrobike Pi: the pricey hybrid electric bicycle". Engadget. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  12. ↑ "Pi Electrobike: Expensive, Eccentric and Enchanting". Wired. Charlie. First, it seems to owe more to vintage motorcycles than to the modern pushbike. The single aluminum arch connecting the wheels brings to mind retro cafe-racers. The various configurations confirm this. The base model is electric and pedal powered only, but there are gas/electric hybrids further up the range, with the Pi-X sporting a 50cc, four-stroke engine alongside a 48V, 100 amp electric motor. The X is limited to 30mph, but a the name of the special edition Bonneville Racer tells you just how much extra speed a little tweaking will get you. {{cite magazine}}: |first= missing |last= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ↑ Hartman, Eviana (December 2007). "Sweet as Pi". Wired. p. 174.
  14. ↑ "Future of Energy". Popular Science: 65 and 66. March 2009.
  15. ↑ Carpenter, Susan (2009-10-16). "PiCycle brings high style to the eco-commute". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  16. ↑ Schwartz, Ariel (2010-12-01). "How Funky Pi Mobility Bikes Tamed Quirky Curves With 3-D Software". Fast Company. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  17. ↑ Wallack, Roy M. (2011-05-23). "Bicycles are getting artsy smartsy". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 17 February 2026. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  18. ↑ Dovey, Rachel. "Made in the North Bay". North Bay Bohemian. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  19. 1 2 3 4 "Ring Drive Suggests Future EV Powertrain | WardsAuto". www.wardsauto.com. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  20. 1 2 3 Markus, Frank (2018-10-03). "Civic Type R AWD? Testing an Orbis/Honda Civic Type R With 100-HP 'E-Nitrous' AWD!". MotorTrend. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  21. ↑ Noe, Rain (2018-11-19). "Turn Your Two-Wheel-Drive Car into Four-Wheel-Drive by Adding Hubless Orbis Electric Wheels". Core77. Retrieved 2026-10-05.

Category:Living people Category:American automotive engineers Category:American inventors Category:American technology company founders Category:ArtCenter College of Design alumni Category:Electric bicycles Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Draft:Marcus_Hays&oldid=1381228759"