Volkswagen Go2 Project Is a 2014 Vision of the Next Urban Mobility Solution

The project before you has been dubbed the Volkswagen Go2, but before you give Volkswagen a call, note that the German powerhouse has nothing to do with this project. It’s actually an independent concept, or rather solution, to an overcrowded future overrun by automobiles.

The mind behind it all is Danilo Makio Saito of Sao Paulo, Brazil. A designer focusing on vehicles and urban mobility, his projects include everything from toy cars, VR environments, and solutions, to renderings that explore ideas of a better world, the latter expressed in the Go2.

What you see is a two-part project and includes both a car and an e-bike. A third component exists as well, but that’s more of an accessory. Now, the main solution to overcrowded cities is, and has been for a while, the bicycle. But most folks wouldn’t be ok with their car being taken away like candy from a baby, so the solution was to integrate the car as an option, albeit a small one. In this project, everyone seems to be owning VW subcompacts.

About the car itself, not much is mentioned. All you have is the design before you and that it’s electric, with the battery mounted at the rear so that the e-bike can also be charged when not in use. I believe little is mentioned about the car as the future might render this method of transport obsolete.

The e-bike, on the other hand, has received quite a bit of attention. To offer users a longer range with less fatigue, an electric drivetrain has been chosen. The first thing you’ll notice is the missing top tube, replaced by a pair of lateral strips that create a sort of pocket. It’s where users can store light luggage, a backpack, purse, or a briefcase; it's just perfect for last-mile operations.

The beautiful thing about these panels is that they're more like seatbelt fabric and retractable. When not in use for storage, the strips remain hidden in the frame. This function ensures a safer journey whenever you have to carry luggage as you are no longer unbalanced because of a swinging briefcase or groceries on your handlebars.

Because of this last-mile focus, the bike also includes another feature that seems to be up to date up current trends, a folding frame. Once you’ve arrived at work, the guardian at the front desk probably won’t let you enter the building with a full-blown bike. Knowing that, you stop at the front door, dismount the bike, grab your briefcase, and pull a pin on the bike's frame to fold it to half its original size. Proceed to enter like you own the place.

Once work is finished, take out your phone, turn on the app installed, and see which route you’d like to take to your car. The future’s looking pretty simple and easy to use.

I mentioned earlier a third component in all of this Go2 business; that would have to be the helmet. A slick and very attractive helmet, worthy of a place in the next Power Ranger flick, is offered when you would’ve purchased the Go2. Instead of just looking cool and saving your life, there’s also a bit of tech involved with it. A visor built into the helmet will display routes, battery levels and even warn riders of impending danger.

Now, you should know the project before you was created back in 2014 and won first place at the "Talento Volkswagen Contest" that year. Seven years later, society already uses similar tech to the one found in this idea, a testament to the beauty of concepts and the way they offer a glimpse into a possible future.