How much of your personal sense of comfort would you be willing to sacrifice for an idea – and for the promise of looking good while you’re doing it? If your answer is “plenty,” here’s a gorgeous electric moped for you.
Mopeds are seeing a surge in popularity, and it’s all thanks to electric powertrains and the focus on being more responsible with our carbon footprints. The developments of the past couple of years have helped a lot, too, what with travel restrictions, limited social interactions, and the sudden and unpleasant need to find an alternative means of transport that do not involve you breathing the same air as strangers.
e-Bikes are having a blast right now, with other electric two-wheelers coming in hot. e-Scooters, electric motorcycles, and mopeds seem poised for larger adoption. One design studio believes that, at least in the case of mopeds, a good-looking package would help with the rate of adoption. Enter the Moppe Apparatus TD-MP1, which might sound like some kind of brutish, utilitarian thing as the name rolls off your tongue, but is actually a very elegant proposition for the modern hipster.
Moppe is the work of designer Torkel Doehmers of Sweden’s Doehmers Research Lab, and it exists as concept only, for the time being. That could change, if Doehmers gets enough feedback to warrant a limited-edition product run.
In creating Moppe, Doehmers aimed for two things: first, to pay homage to the classic mopeds of the ‘70s and ‘80s and, in the process, to make them relevant and wide-reaching once more; and number two, to show that electric transportation is the only way to go in terms of urban mobility. If more people got on electric two-wheelers, our word would be better for it. But Doehmers argues that, unlike e-bikes and e-scooters, e-mopeds would offer “lightweight enjoyable mobility, with a sense of freedom.”
Photo: Torkel Doehmers / Doehmers Research Lab
“Pure transport with nothing else than low aero racing style ergonomics to cut through the wind in total silence. Like a perfect team, rider and horse becoming one entity,” he says of his creation.
Indeed, riding the Moppe would feel like being part of a single unit, since the rider would be flush against the body of the moped. This is no regular daily commuter, but more like a modern take on the iconic Honda SS50 and, at the same time, a piece of rideable art.
This moped puts a lot of emphasis on good looks, and Doehmers is fully aware that it does so at the cost of practicality. That’s what the mention of this being art serves for, and why Doehmers says it’s “not built for optimal practicality.” In other words, it’s style over function, the dream two-wheel machine for a hipster who would be sold on the idea of “freedom,” and doing something good for the planet and looking mighty fancy as he’s doing it. You have to appreciate this kind of honesty.
As a stylish package, Moppe does stand out. It sits on a rigid lightweight monocoque chassis with the battery fully integrated, for the smoothest look. The overall design is something between vintage and utilitarian, but with extra luxe, modern touches like the bright yellow leather seat (it’d better be vegan), and the integrated, vertical taillights, the fake wood “tank,” and the transparent deconstructed windscreen. The swing-arm is paired with a dual rear shock setup, while the skinny wheels wear aero disc covers, with the rear one hiding the motor from view. 3D-printed metal signature elements further add to the modern feel of the Moppe.
Photo: Torkel Doehmers / Doehmers Research Lab
The designer notes that modularity is one of the defining features of this concept, so the wooden section would serve for anything from a glove box to a slot to place your phone, which would then serve as the display of the moped. All phones would be compatible, acting as the main display for ride stats. Doehmers does not got into specifics on how this “smart modularity” would further manifest.
As noted above, the Moppe Apparatus TD-MP1 could move into limited production if interest is high, and especially if it translates into investors joining the venture. Until then, a hipster can only dream – and make no mistake, this is the perfect (electric two-wheel) machine for a modern hipster. It says so right there on the aero disc: “To be ridden in-between intense moments, after hard work, a tough day at the office... you get the idea :) A silent ride of inspiration will do wonders. Freedom. No more looking back…”
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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