STILRIDE uses 'industrial origami' to fold recycled steel sheets into durable electric scooters

stilride folds steel sheets into electric scooters

swedish startup STILRIDE builds sustainable electric motorcycles and scooters using a novel process called ‘industrial origami’. combining innovative robotics, and design, the company folds single sheets of recyclable steel into intricate, durable vehicles. in this way, founders tue beijer and jonas nyvang hope to introduce a viable and more sustainable way to manufacture and distribute high-performance electric products all across the globe.

all images courtesy of STILRIDE

introducing the ‘industrial origami’ technique

the idea for this ‘industrial orgiami’ process was conceived by the two founders in 2019, when nyvang sketched out a scooter design and then used paper origami to build its model. surely, folding steel sheets isn’t a new idea when it comes to the manufacturing industry, as it has been used in the past to create products such as washing machines and ovens in the past. however, STILRIDE is the first company to build an electric motorcycle with this technique.

the swedish startup has developed a way to produce curved folds, so that the entire chassis of its e-bike can be made out of steel sheets. by folding the structure, it is possible to create a durable vehicle with substantially less material and less weight. specifically, compared to a traditional scooter, STILRIDE’s model requires 70% fewer components, while it also drives a 25% reduction in labor costs and a 20% reduction in material costs.

greener than a gas scooter and an electric car

what makes STILRIDE’s technology stand out is its unique design software and an attachment that can be fitted to common industrial robotic arms, allowing them to do the steel folding. using these tools, the startup can avoid having to build costly new factories. this system can also work with existing steel workshops, so that the bikes can be made near the customers, thus eliminating shipping costs and minimizing the environmental impact of the production.

the company plans to use recycled steel, or even steel made from green hydrogen instead of fossil fuels. according to a cradle-to-customer analysis by the non-profit swedish environment institute, by reducing materials and transportation, and because of the supply chain choices, STILRIDE’s vehicle should have half the carbon footprint of a typical electric scooter. this means that the company’s first scooter will be a new and improved vehicle that’s already greener than a gas scooter or even an electric car.

the first scooters of STILRIDE are currently in production and are expected to hit the market sometime during 2022. the debut product will be the sport utility scooter one (SUS1) and it will have a top speed of 60 miles an hour as well as an estimated range of 75 miles.