Bo has taken the challenge of changing the game with its innovative, carefully designed e-scooter, the M. How much can you possibly innovate such a simple device? Well, Bo was founded by two engineers who previously worked at Williams F1 Advanced Engineering, as well as a designer who formerly worked at JLR. So they did their best to really tackle that question.
Ingeniously, the first thing they did was
simplify the parts that riders interact with. Rather than building the scooter
out of a base, a long steering column, and handlebars, the team combined the
base and the vertical section into a single chassis element. They call this the
Monocurve design, and it has a few advantages. Made out of forged aluminum,
it’s a strong, unibody construction provides a more ergonomic design. It also
gives riders a sturdy, immobile vertical section, to which they can attach bags
weighing up to 10 kg.
Since the steering column is now inside
the Monocurve chassis, it means that the weight of the bag doesn’t affect
steering performance and throw riders off their course. That decision also
allowed the company to pack more technology into the M, like the Safetsteer
system. Hidden inside the chassis, the system uses a pair of bespoke, wound
torsion springs that help re-center the steering after a turn. Bo says that
this system helps make steering more intuitive for novice riders, and less wild
over bumps, leading to a more confident ride, regardless of the owner’s
experience level.
To help keep riders comfortable, the base
of the chassis features an “Airdeck” to stand on. The elastomer foot pad is
made out of the same anti-vibration foam as high-end sneakers, which soaks up
the bumps without the need for a suspension, which Bo claims doesn’t work very
well on a scooter. Finally, the large Monocurve chassis means that the
manufacturer is able to hide more batteries within the M. That means that the
scooter has a range of up to 50 km and a top speed of up to 35 km/h. Based in hilly Bristol, Bo also tuned the motor to ensure that it
could handle steep inclines without difficulty.
To help get it as far as possible, the
rear brake is entirely regenerative, while the front brake is a drum. That
gives riders free rein to slow as efficiently or as quickly as possible,
depending on the situation they find themselves in. Tipping the scales at 22 kg, the M can handle riders that weigh up to 100 kg. Now
that production has begun, Bo says that the scooter will cost riders £ 2,249
(US$ 2,726). The first deliveries from pre-orders
are set to start arriving in November.
