Citybirds Scooters
Basic information
Project Title
Full project title
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Project Description
Citybirds is an award-winning scooter company created to change the way we commute on the streets. It was created in 2014 when most people considered scooters as toys, not sophisticated tools for commuters. I had a kick scooter myself and thought that it's a brilliant way to move in short distances. But the scooter I had was ugly looking and had dozens of engineering issues. Therefore, I decided to create one for myself and my friends. And this is when the crazy journey began...
Project Region
EU Programme or fund
Description of the project
Summary
Citybirds has designed and developed four sustainable mobility scooters to give different target groups an option to use alternative mobility, especially when commuting short distances. It has four different products, including electric and kid kick scooter.
Pigeon kick scooter was created as a bright self-expressive scooter for teenagers and youngsters. It has a minimalistic design, asymmetric axis, and folds by the one-push of the foot. After folding, its streamlined shape can be placed on users' shoulders, making it easy to carry it in public transport or comfortably store in small apartments.
Raven kick scooter attempted to reinvent the elementary function of an everyday commodity, making it more visually aesthetic, user-friendly, and easy to use. We have chosen carbon fiber material for its style, stability, and lightness. Designed an orange gap in the center of the horizontal frame to enable ease of folding, resulting in a flat-pack shape requiring little or no storage space.
Colibri kick scooter is designed specifically for children. It is cleverly and uniquely constructed from natural wood. The horizontal and vertical frames are also wooden with their axes, locking systems, and interconnecting components of plastic or stainless steel, ensuring the materials are combined to ensure rigidity and stability of the product. It is ergonomically designed to replicate the bend of the shoulder, creating an additional and comfortable function in its carrying and transportation.
Eagle e-scooter is designed for discerning modern adults. It is an electricity-driven super sleek scooter with an integrated system for a smartphone located on the scooter's handlebars. Eagle has a top speed of 25 km/h and a 15 to 30 km battery range. There's also wireless charging integrated into the scooter, which helps to top-up the scooter while driving an EV. We created a special space for our scooter in an EV trunk, which can be used as a charging port.
Key objectives for sustainability
After our thorough research of alternative and ecological modes of transport, we have come to understand that a kick-scooter can be the future instrument for modern, city transportation and that the development of a kick-scooter deserves particular attention. Moreover, environmental sustainability and societal impact are fundamental in everything we do - beginning with the overall development and manufacturing process, and culminating in the lifecycle of the products which we strive to develop.
1. Traffic jams. One commuter wastes a full week in traffic jams every year.
2. Last mile. On average, a person wastes 30 minutes daily on his "last mile" walks that have to be taken from the far parking or car charging station to the final destination.
3. Compactness. Bicycles have to be parked, can be stolen and take lots of space at home.
4. Parking. Today's cities' centers are terrible for parking. It's either very expensive or no space at all.
5. Walking distance. Walking is too slow for today's cities' distances.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
The Citybirds design concept is based on keeping similar visual characteristics for all products in order to make them recognizable and interconnected. Each individual product is named after a different bird and reflects the philosophy and concept of a particular kick scooter. For example, the Pigeon kick scooter is intended for urbanites who group together in the city street, just like pigeons, while Colibri is designed for kids resembling small city birds. Raven, is a multi-functional, compact, and personalized kick scooter that saves space, and Eagle is an electricity-driven scooter designed for modern forward-thinking adults.
Today a lot of kick scooters are manufactured according to a single, standard model which has not yet been tailored to perfection enabling it to convert into a convenient and aesthetically attractive product. Considering the future of a kick scooter from another aspect, our directive is to improve the Citybirds scooters and attempt the elimination of any imperfections and to reinvigorate the marketplace and trigger the revived interest of consumers in a kick scooter as a mode of leisure and lifestyle, plus, to make it more consumer-friendly and easy to use. Quality continues to be one of our core values. All scooters are made with the user in mind - shoulder fitting design, compactness, and style.
Key objectives for inclusion
While creating eco-transport we take responsibility for the philosophy we represent and for the way we achieve the results; the mere manufacture of a product is not enough. Our vision in product manufacture is the minimization of pollution to its maximum extent and observance of responsible production practices. We plan our production capacities to include two plants - one located in Asia and the other in Eastern Europe. They will be delegated responsibility for the products' manufacture and supply to the local markets. This will enable us to save transportation time and ensure that our partners all over the world receive the goods directly from manufacturers in a quick and efficient manner.
Results in relation to category
1. We have contributed to the alternative urban mobility movement and shaped the community of people who use our products worldwide.
2. Design added value, function, and aesthetics. Our products have been awarded 14 worldwide known design awards including two Red Dots and three A'Design Awards;
3. Citybirds owns three patents and three trademarks.
4. Diversity in manufacturing and sustainable supply chain management.
5. Global reach. Our scooters have been ridden whole around the globe, and we aim to influence even more people to use alternative mobility solutions for short-distance traveling.
6. We designed, developed, and launched four different products from the idea to mass production.
How Citizens benefit
Citybirds is designed as an ideal last-mile solution, or a daily commuter vehicle for kids, millennials, and adult city commuters. The key advantage is that Citybirds have a wide product segmentation and targets different markets including kids and fast, rational thinkers who are passionate about electrically driven mobility. We mainly focus on big-city commuters, living in multi-story apartment buildings and who use public transport on a daily basis. Using a bicycle can be complicated for this group of people, therefore the Citybirds scooter represents a perfect means of reaching the destination safely, comfortably, and in style. Finally, we aim to influence people around the globe to ride a micro-mobility solution rather than driving an SUV vehicle for short distances.
Innovative character
Our key differentiators are in our innovative design and sustainable philosophy. Citybirds stands out among the competition through its diversity of product range, eminent design, added value, uniqueness, user-friendliness, use of innovative materials, and lightweight convenience.
