Folding electric bikes are all the rage with commuters of today. They're perfect for folks who utilize multiple forms of transport – say, a car for driving into the city, the train or bus for moving within the city, and the bike for riding around their vicinity. These small and compact e-bikes are light, easy to ride, and very portabe – but what if you wanted something smaller?
Of course, you could always opt for an electric kick scooter, but what if you wanted something that could go further with a little bit more stability? Well, Italian company To-Move just might have what you're looking for. It's called TOM, and it's a super compact folding sit-down electric scooter. TOM draws inspiration from the iconic Honda Motocompo, arguably one of the first forays into the world of last-mile mobility back in the 1980s. TOM, meanwhile, takes the concept to the 21st century, as it's fully electric, and much more compact.
Its folding mechanism is pretty ingenious, with To-Move claiming that seven seconds is all it takes to fold the scooter. The entire front end folds in on the frame of the scooter, making for a compact folded package measuring just 94 centimeters – small enough to fit in the trunk of even a small car, or under your work desk. Best of all, it's pretty light at just 20 kilograms.
Style-wise, TOM goes all-in on the green, minimalist aesthetic, complete with bamboo bodywork on the sides, and a streamlined designed devoid of any unnecessary doodads. It's clearly an urban machine, as its tiny wheels necessitate riding on pavement, and it doesn't have any luggage hauling capabilities to show for. That being said, the majority of its structure consists of a large 750-watt-hour battery pack, providing up to 30 miles of range on a single charge. On the rear wheel, a 500-watt motor gives the scooter a top speed of 28 miles per hour.
As is customary with a lot of modern e-bikes and e-scooters, TOM features Bluetooth smartphone pairing and a dedicated mobile app, allowing riders to customize various settings on the go, as well as use their phone as a display as they ride. For now, the brand has launched a campaign on Kickstarter, with TOM expected to come with a starting price of 1,589 Euros, or about $1,745 USD.
