Bamboo

Last year, Italian electric mobility company Reinova announced the development of a folding bamboo-bodied electric scooter called the ToMove. Well, the funky li'l vehicle is now known as the Tom, and is the subject of a Kickstarter campaign.

The Tom was created via a partnership between Reinova and designer Andrea Strippoli, along with some of his fellow designers at the Polytechnic University of Turin. "ToMove" is now the name of the spinoff company which is commercializing the vehicle.

Made with a small environmental footprint in mind, the Tom is composed largely of renewable and/or recyclable materials. These include its bamboo side panels and aluminum frame. Less than 10% of the scooter is made of plastic.

The vehicle is propelled to a top speed of 43 km/h (27 mph) by a 500-watt rear hub motor which delivers 30 Nm (22 lb ft) of torque. That motor is in turn powered by a 750-Wh lithium battery, one 3-hour charge of which should be good for a range of 50 km (31 miles). If needed, the battery can also be used to charge the rider's mobile devices while out and about.

Folding the scooter up is claimed to take just seven seconds – it can then be pulled along on an integrated set of caster wheels. The whole thing tips the scales at 20 kg (44 lb) and can manage a maximum rider/cargo weight of 120 kg (265 lb).

Some of the Tom's other features include hydraulic disc brakes, a coil-spring suspension fork, and a full lighting system with turn indicators on the ends of the handlebars. An accompanying app allows users to track the scooter's whereabouts if it's stolen or loaned out, receive alerts if it's moved when left unattended, and check its battery charge level.

Assuming the Tom reaches production, a pledge of €1,869 (about US$2,000) will get you one – the planned retail price is $2,999. You can see it in scooting and folding action, in the video below.

Source: Kickstarter