Is it a Scooter? Is it a Cargo Bike? No, it’s Re:Move!
Gothenburg, Sweden
Electric performance car manufacturer Polestar has unveiled its own solution for cargo transportation, with its Polestar Re:Move cargo bike prototype.
The Re:Move project is a collaboration between Polestar, designer Konstantin Grcic aluminium manufacturer Hydro and the electric motorbike pioneer CAKE, to meet the increasing demand for online shopping and door-to-door delivery services.
The prototype was exhibited at last month’s International Mobility Show Germany (IAA Mobility), with Polestar claiming it can carry up to 180kg and has a battery capacity of 2.2kWh.
Re:Move’s aluminium chassis has a tilting mechanism so the bike can lean into corners, to improve stability and manoeuvrability – a feature shared by a Cube cargo bike prototype also revealed at IAA Mobility.
The Polestar’s cargo deck is just 762mm wide, enabling the bike to use on bike paths and bike lanes.
While e-cargo bikes are being heralded as a cleaner, quieter and, in cities at least, quicker alternative to delivery vans for last-mile urban deliveries, Polestar envisages Re:Move would have broader applications, including rural areas with limited infrastructure.
The seeds for Re:Move were initially sown as a design study collaboraton with Grcic and Swedish motorbike manufacturer CAKE, for Wallpaper magazine’s ‘Re:Made’ series. Polestar, Grcic, CAKE and Hydro then teamed up to turn the vision into the Re:Move electric transporter concept.
Polestar says the prototype is a “…fast-tracked reaction to surging online shopping and home delivery demands and the clear requirement to find more sustainable mobility solutions”.
However, Re:Move remains a concept at this stage.
Polestar is a subsidiary of Volvo, established to focus on high-performance electric vehicles, and has announced it will launch its cars in Australia later this year.