Given the boost that the two-wheel industry has seen in 2020, you’d think there is hardly any room left for innovation, at least in terms of design. If that’s how you feel, Stilride is here to prove you wrong.
When it comes to two-wheelers of the all-electric variant, those that stand out today are either the ones that can deliver outstanding performance / range, or those that turn heads with an unusual or out of the ordinary design. As far as we know, Stilride falls in the latter category, but that’s not to say that it’s all about looks and superficiality.
Stilride is a gorgeous e-scooter prototype with a very noble (and sky-high) goal: to become “the world’s most attractive and sustainable electric scooter,” while reducing production waste and cutting labor costs, to ultimately deliver stylish mobility to customers. That’s quite the mission.
Stilride is a Swedish startup headed by Tue Beijer, designer and co-founder, and Jonas Lindberg Nyvang, managing director and co-founder, two childhood friends who decided they were up for the task mentioned above. Their first product is also called Stilride, a Sports Utility Scooter (SUS) that is made using the light fold technique of manufacturing. It is, in short, an origami steel scooter.
Photo: Facebook / Stilride
Described as a “magic carpet on two wheels that turns steel into style,” Stilride does away with tubes and pillars, and replaces them with a frame made from a single sheet of metal folded into the existing shape. The idea for one such scooter came to Beijer way back, with his first design of an electric scooter being influenced by his love of retro two-wheelers. Beijer, we should note, has 20 years’ worth of experience in automotive design, having worked with Ferrari 250 GTO designer Giotto Bizzarrini.
Once the idea of creating a unique e-scooter settled, Beijer continued to work toward building the most sustainable version of it he could. Stilride effectively came about in December 2019, with the first sketch of what would become the origami steel prototype. By April 2020, Beijer had the first paper model, and by June 2020, the current frame was completed.
Photo: Facebook / Stilride
Right now, Stilride is looking into ways of mass-producing this uniquely-looking e-scooter. The advantages of using the light fold technique would be numerous and go beyond aesthetic considerations. Though, to be sure, the looks of the thing are not to be ignored: this is a piece of functional art.
“The goal is to challenge the traditional view of manufacturing through using robotic origami (LIGHT.FOLD) to fold structures from a flat sheet of metal true to the material’s characteristics and geometric nature,” Stilride says. “A safe, desirable and sustainable production and transportation platform that all future forms of innovation will be measured by.”
“Around this new concept of personal mobility we aim to develop a new digitalized value chain around advanced steel sheet manufacturing, where even small workshops, with relatively simple equipment, can fold; tailor-made products with attractive design by means of robotic bending and laser technology,” Stilride adds.
Photo: Facebook / Stilride
By using this technique, manufacturers would minimize resource consumption and waste by up to 50 percent, cut down on labor costs by as much as 45 percent, and ultimately reduce the environmental impact. At the end of it all, customers would be getting an e-scooter with a minimal footprint pre- and post-production that would also turn heads with an unusual aesthetic.
Stilride offers few other details on the origami e-scooter, save to note that it’s powered by a rear hub Bosch motor with a Bosch powertrain, has shock absorbers from Ohlins Racing, and wheel hub caps made from recycled steel. By the looks of things, the prototype is coming along nicely, but since there’s no estimate on when it might actually be hitting the market, if you like what you see, there’s nothing left to do right now but wait.
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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