A 24-year-old from Bristol has designed a foldable motorcycle which he says still has the performance and handling of a traditional model. Ethan Wilkin has been named as one of the winners of the 2023 Innovators Awards with his electric motorcycle, which can be folded down to fit in a small space normally inaccessible for traditional motorcycles.
Ethan said he first started thinking about building a foldable electric motorcycle a few years ago and started collecting parts and working on his ideas. For his final year project in product design at university, he went into full production mode for eight weeks and built his first prototype.
“I grew up tinkering with electric bicycles which started getting bigger and faster and so then I started building a motorbike,” he said. With high marks for his university project, he felt “it was too good to let it go” and he applied for a scholarship grant which allowed him to iron out details for his design.
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Having been named a winner in this year's Young Innovators Programme he will receive further funding, one-on-one business coaching and an allowance to cover living costs. Ethan, who built his own electric motorcycle in 2017, said one of the challenges for motorcyclists was safety for bikes which have to be parked on the street.
“I had a custom electric motorbike which was stolen and this project also addressed security concerns for motorcycle owners. If you’re parking your bike on the street overnight, you’re rolling the dice as to whether it will be there the next morning or if it will be damaged in any way,” he said.
His Vulpin VF1 motorcyle can be folded up into the size of a large suitcase. He said: “It is the weight of a motorcycle, but when you fold it up, you can move it on its wheels onto ramps or into lifts. Its functionality is that it moves under its own power, you don’t have to push it,” he said.
While Ethan describes himself as “very eco-conscious”, he said with low emission zones and fuel costs impacting everyone, even those bike riders who are not particularly eco-conscious will find the advantages with his motorcycle.
“Now electric has advanced so far, it’s what makes sense,” he said, adding that he was careful not to compromise on the performance of a traditional motorcycle. He said handling and power were key to a good design.
He is currently designing his second prototype, saying: ”From my early teens, I was obsessed with making things and saw myself as being an inventor or innovator. I always wanted my own business and right now it’s all-encompassing - when I’m not eating or sleeping, I’m working.”
The Young Innovators Awards is an annual competition from Innovate UK for young entrepreneurs aged 18-30 with the goal to turn their ideas into reality. This year saw 94 winners from hundreds of applicants from around the UK.
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