LAVOIE’s series 1 e-scooter unfolds like origami with safety, stability & style

DESIGNBOOM INTERVIEWS LAVOIE’S CO-CEO, Eliott WertheimeR

As cities evolve and the need for efficient and sustainable transportation grows, LAVOIE, in collaboration with world-renowned design and engineering house Callum, unleashes a game-changing solution that transforms urban mobility and navigation. With the Brand’s Series 1 e-scooter, high performance and a touch of luxury unfold, literally, with safety, style and stability. The electric product’s true essence lies in its FlowFold™ patent pending technology that unveils a plethora of possibilities for riders, merging work and play, as well as igniting speedy adventures, passions or curiosities.

To get a deeper understanding into the future of micro-mobility, designboom interviews LAVOIE‘s co-CEO, Eliott Wertheimer.

the Series 1 e-scooter by LAVOIE – McLaren Applied’s 2023 premium micro mobility company – is bound to roam the streets

all images courtesy of LAVOIE

Founded by McLaren Applied (see here), LAVOIE is driven by a desire to redefine urban mobility with high end solutions. Series 1 is the Brand’s premium electric scooter that reimagines form factor with the patent pending Flowfold™ technology, which not only folds to fit into your everyday life, but it unfolds a whole lot more – from safety, portability and comfort, to career, passions and hobbies. Co-CEOs Eliott Wertheimer and Albert Nassar collaborated with Ian Callum from Callum, the iconic design & engineering house, for the 2023 e-scooter that is set to redefine micro-mobility.  

‘There is a perception issue with e-scooters, where people deem them uncool or unsafe. This does not align with how great of a solution they are for urban mobility, and their actual safety profile. This is what pushed McLaren Applied to start LAVOIE. We re-designed and re-engineered the e-scooter to create a vehicle that people can be proud to own, that can be an object of desire while insanely functional and useful. A device that truly empowers ambitious urban dwellers,’ begins LAVOIE’s co-CEO, Eliott Wertheimer.

the Series 1’s unique patent-pending FlowFold technology unfolds a host of features

SERIES 1 UNFOLDS with just the press of a button

The standout feature of the Series 1 is the FlowFold™ folding system. With a simple press of a button, the stem collapses, and the front wheel lifts above the deck, resulting in a compact and sleek form. This design allows for a longer and wider deck, enhancing stability, safety, comfort, and shock absorption. Additionally, the FlowFold™ system eliminates the need for a kickstand by providing an intermediate Park Mode, ensuring the scooter remains stable when not in use.

‘Ergonomically folding handlebars allowed the designers to increase their overall width which radically improves control and stability on steering. Thanks to Flowfold™, the longer wheelbase of the Series 1 allowed us to increase the stem angle, creating a tendency for steering to naturally go back to its neutral position, removing typical e-scooter wobbliness and increasing safety. It also allowed us to optimize ergonomics for a wide range of heights. We focused a lot on our folding mechanisms design to really ensure safety and redundancy. The result is an origami-like folding high performance vehicle with an incredible safety and reliability profile. With one simple button and latch, the front wheel moves above the deck and the stem folds in half, reducing height and length like never before. A beautiful mechanism connects all folding joints and latches to enable that motion through one activation point,’ explains Eliott.

a single press of a button collapses the stem and moves the wheel above the deck, offering a disruptive form factor

Safety has been a fundamental focus during the development of the scooter. The battery is housed in a waterproof hard shell, meticulously designed and certified to meet rigorous safety standards in both the American and European markets; for instance, ensuring that the speed limit only reaches 25km/h in Europe and 20-30mph in the US. LAVOIE aims to provide not only exceptional performance but also one of the safest devices in the industry, aligning with their commitment to excellence. LAVOIE prioritizes rider and road safety, evident in the meticulously engineered lighting system of the Series 1. Equipped with various lights, including a light halo, presence lights, rear brakes, rider illumination LEDs, and indicators, the electric vehicle maximizes visibility and promotes safer riding.

‘We use magnesium and aluminum alloys that are impressively strong while remaining very light. This gives an extremely compact vehicle that, at 18kgs, remains very light with respect to its performance levels. We also created our own testing standards based on automotive practices, way above common micro mobility standards, radically improving structural strength and reliability. We also developed our own lighting, from body illumination to indicators and headlights, suited to different times of the day– you basically become an unmissable ball of light on the road,’ 

he continues.

an intermediate position, called Park Mode, sets the e-scooter into a perfectly stable, padded, resting position

The Series 1 comes in two versions differentiated by their battery sizes. The standard Series 1 features a 468Wh battery priced at $1990, while the Series 1 Max, equipped with a 702Wh battery, retails for $2230 (both excluding VAT). These batteries offer a single-charge range of 40 km/25 miles for the Series 1 and 60 km/38 miles for the Series 1 Max, with an average speed of 20 kph/12 mph in urban settings. The Series 1 has a top speed exceeding 40 kph/25 mph but will be shipped with a speed restriction of 25 kph/15 mph in applicable regions. Its app also allows riders to restrict or unlock power and speed limits.

‘We designed and built a strong, reliable and very safe electronics package around our two different battery versions. Each battery is housed in a waterproof hardshell which connects to the system modularly. On top of the waterproof shell, we also followed UL certifications to enhance confidence around our battery design, creating one of the safest systems on the market.  We also gave a lot of thought to security. FlowFold allows securing Series 1 with a lock through the frame which is a significant improvement. Our GPS tracking, alarm and motor lock system also works towards improving your trust in using the scooter everyday,’ adds Eliott.

In collaboration with Ian Callum and his esteemed design and engineering house, LAVOIE has infused the Founders Edition of the Series 1 with a distinctive aesthetic and color scheme, paying homage to the first-ever electric two-wheel vehicle patented back in April 1869. The Brand offers a special opportunity to the initial 469 customers: the chance to pre-order the exclusive limited Edition, where each comes with a unique numbered plaque designed by CALLUM. The owners get to enjoy exclusive privileges such as early access to product releases, updates, and invitations to private events.

‘The first ever electric two wheeler was patented in April 1869 which is why we decided to release 469 units of the Founders Edition, as a little wink to history. Our first customers are incredibly important to us and part of the LAVOIE family. Each numbered plaque designed by CALLUM highlights that fact. CALLUM also refined our color scheme and finishes to create a really premium automotive feel,’ describes Eliott.

the owners of the Founders Edition get to enjoy exclusive privileges such as early access to product releases, updates, and invitations to private events

LAVOIE’s commitment to improving e-mobility looks ahead into the future. From the custom controls on the dashboard to enhancing functionality through the app, Series 1 seeks to create a sustainable and efficient experience for its users by shifting to renewable energy and dumping all the fossil fuels. Functionality wise, the product also helps users change their perception from seeing the scooter as a toy/gadget to experiencing it as a high performance vehicle. Once trusted, it can become an object of desire with state of the art technology.

‘What we’re trying to do is enable people to move better, safer and cleaner, and for that, there isn’t a single solution. Our aim is not to turn people away from walking to places or using e-bikes, but to offer another possibility that gets them from A-B without sweating, in an efficient way. I think micro-mobility is the future of urban environments – it has to be,’ he concludes.

the first 469 units of the Series 1 are individually numbered and feature a bespoke plaque created by the iconic design house CALLUM

‘we designed and built a strong, reliable and very safe electronics package around our two different battery versions,’ explains Eliott

LAVOIE’S CEOs and founders, Albert Nassar (left) and Eliott Wertheimer (right)

*All models of the Series 1 can be pre-ordered (Thursday, 22nd June) with a fully-refundable deposit of £500/$500/EUR500 via the LAVOIE website, with confirmed production slots being allocated to customers upon placing an order. The option to pre-order with a full payment deposit and a 5% discount is also available.

project info:

name: Series 1 e-scooter

brand: LAVOIE | @lavoielectric

company: McLaren Applied

pre-order June 22, 2023, 6:00pm BST: https://www.lavoielectric.com/