Arīv Merge Folding eBike (by General Motors)
My first production program assignment while working for General Motors was with the Global Advanced Design Team on a new startup-like project. A concept folding bike had been proposed, and a design theme had been chosen by a lead designer. The lead designer and myself were tasked with taking the theme and fully developing the concept for production.
Our 2 designer team worked alongside GM Engineering and Powertrain resources to fully develop the Folding eBike internally. Starting with benchmarking and research, we travelled across various European countries to understand the needs of folding bike consumers in countries like the UK, Copenhagen, the Netherlands, Germany, and more. I designed the custom components and pieces necessary for the bike that could not be sourced adequately from the existing bike supply chain. This included the lighted turn signal grips, folding features, the minimal chain guard, custom headlight with usb charger, battery housing, motor details, and more, while ensuring the design met all legal eBike requirements for various European countries and the US. I followed the program all the way through to production, starting with the build of show-ready pre-production bikes in-house and then evaluating manufactured parts and providing feedback to suppliers for improvements through production and release.
What we finally arrived at was the first fully-integrated and designed e-bike, motor, and battery and an industry-first one-step folding bike system. The bike when folded is able to roll on its own two wheels, another industry success in the folding bike world. I received 1 US patent (2 additional US patents pending) related to the design of the ebike folding magnetic frame lock system, as well as the custom-designed seatpost based kickstand.
The eBike was released under the new brand Arīv Mobility in the Spring of 2019 to European Markets.
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