This article was published on March 8, 2022

This escooter looks like an origami duck made of steel โ€” and I dig it

Meet the SUS1


This escooter looks like an origami duck made of steel โ€” and I dig it

Swedish startup Stilride has created an electric scooter unlike any other: itโ€™s an origami-style two-wheeler. And, no, itโ€™s not made out of paper. 

Meet the Sport Utility Scooter One (SUS1): 

Stilride escooter
Image: Stilride

Maybe its unusual aesthetics arenโ€™t everyoneโ€™s cup of tea (Iโ€™m personal intrigued by how it kinda looks like an origami duck), but I think youโ€™ll find the concept behind its creation quite brilliant. 

The SUS1 was manufactured with a process called โ€œindustrial origami.โ€

Like the Japanese art of folding paper into the most surprising objects, industrial origami is when sheets of cold-rolled stainless steel are folded into three-dimensional shapes, using lasers and robotic arms. 

As lasers are used to warm the metal, this method is dubbed LightFold, but Stilride has patented its own version, called StilFold. 

Hereโ€™s a teaser video of the technology: 

 

Using StilFold, the company has replaced the tubular frame and plastic shield of conventional scooters with a 100% โ€œorganicโ€ Swedish steel unibody. 

As a result, Stilride claims that its escooter is lighter and more sustainable, with 70% less components and lowered material and labor costs. 

Stilride esccoter
Image: Stilride

Moving to the SUS1โ€™s more ordinary characteristics, we can expect a solid performance. 

The two-wheeler comes with a 14.8hp hub motor, powered by a 6kWh lithium-battery, providing it with around 120km of range and enabling it to reach a 100km/h top speed. 

Stilride escooter
Image: Stilride

The SUS1 is the startupโ€™s first vehicle and will be available for purchase later this year โ€” but its arrival only marks the beginning of Stilrideโ€™s story. 

The companyโ€™s already planning to produce trailers, cargo bikes, and high-end bikes for the mass market. And I sincerely hope itโ€™s going to incorporate the origami style as well. 

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