A group at MIT has unveiled a scooter that folds in half, and collapses to the size of a suitcase. The low-cost bike could be carried on a bus or stored under your desk at work. A prototype of the new design was recently unveiled at the Milan Auto Show. According to William J. Mitchell of MIT’s Smart Cities Group, “the design is all about providing a clean, green, silent electronic scooter that would provide the same kind of urban mobility as motor scooters.”
“By putting motors directly inside each of the two wheels, it’s possible to design the scooter so that it could be folded up to about half its size. When folded, it can also be easily wheeled along like a trolley suitcase, making it easy to take along on trains or even indoors,” Mitchell added.
Mitchell and his team envision the scooters being provided in racks at convenience stores, train stations and other convenient city locations as one-way rentals. Users would swipe a credit card to remove a scooter from the rack (in which its batteries would be kept fully charged up), unfold it for the trip and then fold it up again to deposit at another rack at the destination.
“The simplified design could bring down production costs significantly. A typical gas scooter has about 1,000 parts, but ours only has 150,” said Mitchell. A one-way-rental business model has been demonstrated in Paris, where a company has recently begun a similar service with 1,000 bicycles.
Via: Infosync
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then give an opinion
What a fun little bike this is! It folds well, they were very thoughtful about the placement of everything when folded. It’s very sturdy.
Folding bike my ass that look like a auto mobile created by Japan made for ninjas to deliver Chinese food.
Folding bikes are easier to store and transport than normal bikes. You can fold them up to put them in the back of a car, store them in a closet, and take them by train or bus. A sub-class of folding bikes is the separable. These don’t actually fold, they disassemble into several pieces. Bikes designed for short journeys they fold very well but don’t feel quite like full-size bikes. Good for commuting cycle to train station or bus stop, quickly fold them up, and store behind your seat or in a luggage rack. Bikes for longer distance riding usually have lots of luggage carrying space, and ride like a full-size bike. Ride all day perfect for commuting longer distances or touring. They don’t fold so quickly or small, but are still more compact and easy to store than a full-size bike.
how much are these i really want one let me know were to get them and the price
i am 2o years old
i am male i live in england but got loads of money to get to were these are and are they for sale
thank you
xx
caji