Stilride, a Swedish start-up, and global stainless steel manufacturer Outokumpu have teamed up to design a stainless steel electric scooter.
The idea comes from Stilride’s industrial designer Tue Beijer and CEO Jonas Nyvang. Beijer first built a scooter at the age of 19 and has since wanted to create one that was cheap, easy to build, and durable.
Beijer and Nyvang founded Stilride in 2019 and began developing electro-mobility devices based on sustainable industrial origami. Beijer met an expert from Outkumpo and was introduced to the idea of using high-strength stainless steel.
Stilride took Outokumpu’s process of designing and manufacturing where local heat treatment of 600 to 800 degrees Celsius was concentrated into narrow lines and developed LIGHT.FOLD.
This technique uses lasers to apply highly localized heat treatment to temper-rolled stainless steel. It focuses on softening areas where material will need to bend. Robots then form the temper-rolled sheets into complex 3D shapes. The final forming hardens the structure in order to regain the original flat sheet’s strength.
Stilride estimates LIGHT.FOLD could save manufacturers and metal fabrication workshops 20 to 50% on material and 25 to 45% on labor costs.
Stilride received a grant in November of 2019 and plans to continue type testing, begin taking orders before the end of 2022, and increase production in 2023. For now, concentration remains on the design.
Beijer said, “All [components and design details] need time and attention during design and manufacture, as well as sourcing, procurement, test and qualification of components. And any of them could go wrong and need replacement during the scooter’s lifetime.”
