Lit Motors
The business, the turning points, and the decisions behind them.
Some sections are still being researched2 / 4
Sections to complete：02 · 05
01 / WHAT IT BUILT
What the company did
Lit Motors, founded in 2010 in San Francisco by Daniel Kim, builds gyroscopically stabilized two-wheeled vehicles. Its flagship C-1 is a fully enclosed electric auto-balancing vehicle: dual control-moment gyroscopes keep it upright at a stop, lean it into turns and resist tip-over, blending motorcycle agility with car-like safety. The company has shown a series of prototypes but never shipped a production vehicle.
02 / FAILURE REASONS
Material for this section is being gathered and checked. It will appear here once ready.
03 / EVENT HISTORY
Events in the structured record
- Company founded
Daniel Kim founds Lit Motors in San Francisco to build a self-balancing enclosed electric motorcycle.
- Product launch
The company reveals a non-functioning C-1 show model of the gyro-stabilized enclosed two-wheeler.
- Operations scaled back
Kim is seriously injured in a motorcycle accident at Laguna Seca in March 2015, forcing an extended hiatus from leading C-1 development.
04 / CONTEMPORARY REBUILD ASSESSMENT
Difficulty of rebuilding this project today
Material for this section is being gathered and checked. It will appear here once ready.
Overall assessment: Not completed
05 / CAUSAL CHAIN / AFTERMATH
Material for this section is being gathered and checked. It will appear here once ready.