ELECTRIC MOPED

When I was 12 years old I bought my first motorcycle, a 1970 Honda CT70. It was already 27 years old and looked like a dinosaur compared to the new plastic dirtbikes in the dealership, but it was mine and it sparked a lifetime of two wheeled enjoyment. So I was ecstatic when my friend reached out to me to help design an electric moped.

I was able to determine a target market of an urban commuter, and looking at the current offerings, there was a need to fill the price category below the Cake Makka.

CNC machined mockup I made to check frame dimensions and overall geometry

CONCEPT Round 01

First I needed to determine a target customer, and how to break into a fast growing market of electric mopeds. Bridging the gap of entry level and premium, and focusing on the urban commuter was where I set my sights.

The first round of concepts focused on initial architectures and blush looks at aspirational forms and manufacturing methods. The client knew that they wanted a simple construction using a 1000kW rear hub driven motor and large battery. Knowing the moped would be manufactured with a lot of off the shelf components, there was a lot of focus on the frame construction and position within the electric moped market.

CONCEPT Round 02

Tube, Arc, and Backbone concepts were selected by the client to move forward with. With these there was a keen focus on simple & strong frame assembly. All parts were to be designed from off the shelf tubing using common manufacturing practices. With the client being a start up, there was a lot of concern for cost while creating a unique product.

CONCEPT Round 03

Arc and Backbone are now the emerging favorites. This is where the concepts took an interesting turn. A peer who has been in this space for a few years took a look at my work and suggested I tailor the concepts for an urban commuter who wants to carry cargo. Imagine hopping on your moped carrying a 24 pack of Busch Light across town to watch the game with a buddy. One can dream.

From here I began to assemble realistic components from the client, with the 1200kW rear hub motor being the focus point. Suspension from mountain bikes, 14 inch wheels, handlebars from a pitbike.

CONCEPT ROUND 04

The client brought me back to earth. My dreams of hauling gallons of beer across town didn’t entirely match their vision for a moped. I had to regroup and focus in on why we were looking to get into this market.

Backbone V3B was where the client wanted to take the design, and I loved the look and feel of the motorcycle. Similar enough to a dirtbike and a nice stepping stone of familiarity into the electric moped market.