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Saigon student's folding electric bike becomes a reality

By Rain Noe - January 2, 2009

in Object Culture

For students, designing a concept vehicle usually means producing lots of renderings, but an industrial design student at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture actually built one that runs.

Truong Minh Nhat's Capella is a lightweight, compact electric bike that folds into a backpack. Truong sourced the parts from local manufacturers, convincing several of them to make the bespoke components demanded by his design: "I had to convince and explain a lot to bike component makers, although I was making only one and offered them high prices."

The Capella was Truong's senior thesis and has a 12-kilometer range. Now that it's complete and functioning, Truong has obtained intellectual property rights and is fine-tuning the design, hoping to get the weight down to just 10 kilograms, before seeking a Vietnamese-market manufacturer.

via thanh nien news

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Adri H.

15 years ago

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Though the same thing. The photo looks like a rendering. The bike is perfectly upright and the shadows on bike vs. man aren't adding up. Strange for something that's been manufactured.
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Sean Holmes

15 years ago

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I like the idea, but I wish this idea blended a little solar power tech into it.
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jacob

15 years ago

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i would have to say that is a rendering......and it looks like there are intersecting parts........but good "concept"
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js

15 years ago

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looks heavy thou.
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florian

15 years ago

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when i look at the hand on the saddle - for me it still looks like a rendering...
and 10 kilograms is a pretty good weight for a racing mountaibike.

i think, he still needs some time.
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