It’s been six years since car firm Smart showed a concept version of its planned electric eScooter and despite missing its original aim to reach production by 2014 there’s still a chance the bike will be built.
These new patent images show how the production version of the bike could look. Compared to the concept, the styling is the same but the technical side is significantly altered. The single-sided fork of the concept is replaced by a conventional front end and the original wheel-mounted motor is swapped for one fitted to the swingarm.
Although Smart’s owners, Daimler, originally planned to have the bike in production by 2014, that plan was scuppered when development partner Vectrix folded. The company, which had been a leading light in the early days of the electric bike industry, was closed for good in early 2014.
These patent images, which have just been published by the European patent office, were filed in May 2014 and could indicate that the project remains alive despite the hurdles it’s faced.
By Ben Purvis
