Batch 2 USA/Canada Update UPS Tracking Numbers

Hello Backers!

Shipping

Batch 2 USA/Canada Bikes have officially left the factory, been handed over to the logistics team and tracking numbers for these bikes will be added to your account as well as Paypal if you used this method for backing by Sunday February 4th. To access your account you go to starkdrive.com and click on rewards at the bottom of the page or click here.

Although we were aware of the torture our bikes can experience during their long journeys from our factory in China to our backers around the world we have learned some lessons from the first batch and how carriers even exceed our own expectations of what can occur in transit. we have made some strategic changes to the packaging as you can see in the photos below to improve the internal structure and localization of the components within the box to prevent jostling and otherwise negative things occurring in transit.

Bike Upgrades

Not only have we improved the packaging on the outside of the bike but we have improved the bike internally as well. Batch 2 bikes have improved circuitry in so much as now any Stark Drive bike can be upgraded to include the optional rear light simply by plugging it in to the spare lead that is included on each and every bike. This was not the default option in the first batch and was only included if the backer chose to include the rear light when backing.

In batch 1 the key was used only as a means of locking the battery within the frame, not overall system power. This was something we thought was not good enough so we worked with our engineers and all batch 2 bikes and also bikes henceforth will have three positions:

OFF - total system power disabled,
LOCK - the battery is locked within the frame but system power is still disabled,
ON - Battery is Locked within the frame as well as total system power is enabled.

Battery

All higher capacity lithium batteries have circuitry included to protect the pack in the event of low voltage which can permanently harm the pack. Our circuity has a 27V protection limit enabled on the packs meaning that if the voltage of the pack as a whole drops below this level the protection circuitry is automatically enabled and the included chargers will cease charging the pack if the voltage drops below this level. The packs are still fine and can be charged but a more specialized charger is needed to safely bring the voltage of the entire pack up above the 27V level. These will be provided to backers on loan if ever required however any local battery specialist in your area will also have the same equipment and the process will be significantly faster then if we are to ship these chargers our to backers.

Tracking and UPS

The bikes are being sent via the same method as we used last time as this seemed to work insomuch as the UPS labels are created in China and attached to all the bikes and then they are packed in the shipping container and these numbers remain in the system but inactive until they reach the USA / Canada and clear customs at which point the carrier (UPS) will get the bikes and handle the final leg of the journey to the end backer. The Tracking numbers will only show movement and updates once they clear customs and until then will just show that the label has been created in the system.

Mate Libel Lawsuit Update

We are for the time being suspending our libel lawsuit against our lovely competitor Mate.bike until the arbitration proceedings are complete to prevent any conflict between the libel case and the situation that occurred on Indiegogo where Mate (through their lawyer) submitted a fraudulent DMCA notice to Indiegogo causing Indiegogo to cancel our original crowdfunding campaign a week after launching on February 23rd 2017 after raising just shy of 300.000 USD.

Stark Drive Mini

We are well on our way to launching Stark Drive Mini pictured below in the Spring of 2018. We will be launching on Kickstarter and the starting backing amount to get Stark Drive mini will be 299 USD. Stark Drive Mini will be as configurable as Stark Drive with various upgrades depending on what the backer needs. At approximately 13 KG, it will be the perfect companion for those that are inner city commuters, boat Enthusiasts or RV'ers.

OUR GOAL AT STARK DRIVE IS TO MAKE ELECTRIC BIKES AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE TO THE MASSES. AN OBVIOUS TRUISM.

Sincerely

Oscar
CEO, Stark Drive LLC.